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Derek Brunson has asserted that he’d like to fight Paulo Costa. Following his win over Kevin Holland at UFC Vegas 22, Brunson challenged Paulo Costa in his post-fight interviews and has now reiterated the same via social media.
The veteran UFC middleweight contender took to his official Twitter account and, in his latest call-out, has taken a jibe at Paulo Costa’s infamous ‘wine’ story.
Derek Brunson’s tweet reads:
“Last night wasn’t my prettiest but let’s not forget I have the 2nd most KOs in UFC MW history and the most 1st. round finishes in UFC MW history . Tipsy Costa lmk when you’re ready ! @BorrachinhaMMA”
In his tweet, Derek Brunson addressed his performance against Kevin Holland in their five-round middleweight bout that headlined UFC Vegas 22. Brunson alluded to his grappling-heavy approach to the fight, which led to criticism from fans who expected him to have a striking war with Holland.
Brunson agreed it wasn’t his prettiest performance, but added his notable accomplishments in the middleweight division. He has the second-most KOs and the most first-round finishes in UFC middleweight history.
Derek Brunson also called out "Tipsy Costa." The Brazilian is coming off a second-round TKO loss against UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 253 in September 2020.
Paulo Costa recently claimed that one of the biggest reasons behind his loss to Adesanya was him being drunk and/or having a hangover during their fight. 'The Eraser' revealed that he had trouble sleeping the night before the contest which led to the Brazilian drinking an entire bottle of wine to help with his sleep.
Costa believes this adversely affected his performance against Adesanya. Many in the MMA world subsequently poked fun at Costa for his wine story. Derek Brunson also referenced this wine story in his tweet.
Derek Brunson is riding high after his dominant win over Kevin Holland
The UFC middleweight title is currently held by Israel Adesanya, who already holds a win over Derek Brunson. Adesanya bested Brunson via first-round TKO at UFC 230 in November 2018.
Meanwhile, Paulo Costa was scheduled to fight Robert Whittaker at UFC on ESPN 22 (April 17th, 2021). Costa withdrew from the fight because of illness.
Meanwhile, Derek Brunson is riding a four-fight winning streak – fresh off a dominant unanimous decision win over Kevin Holland at UFC Vegas 22 on March 20. The consensus is that Brunson could find himself in another main event matchup in his next outing in the octagon.
