'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Dana White has doubled down on the idea of Paulo Costa staying at light heavyweight as opposed to heading back down to middleweight.
Last Saturday night, Paulo Costa went to war with Marvin Vettori and came up short in what proved to be an incredibly fun UFC main event. Alas, while the 205-pound affair was entertaining and lived up to the hype, it can’t disguise the fact that it was initially supposed to be contested at middleweight.
Paulo Costa forced a weight change during fight week. Ultimately, it was a gamble that didn’t quite pay off for him.
After UFC Vegas 41, Dana White said that Paulo Costa would now be required to fight at 205 pounds. During an interview with TMZ Sports, the UFC president reiterated that.
“He can’t [stay at middleweight]. He’s already proven that he can’t make the weight, why would we go through this again? Why would we put him through that again? He’s a 205-pound fighter now, so we’ve just gotta figure out what the next move is and who he fights first in that division.”
Catch Dana White's interview with TMZ Sports below:
Could Paulo Costa become light heavyweight champion?
Some fans have noted that Paulo Costa doesn’t appear to be all too upset by his deteriorating relationship with the UFC. Some even felt like the light heavyweight move was all part of a plan for him to throw Marvin Vettori off before fight night.
Either way, it’s opened up the door to lots of really exciting possibilities for him at a new weight class.
There are some absolute killers in that division. The likes of Jan Blachowicz, Glover Teixeira, Jiri Prochazka, Aleksandar Rakic, Anthony Smith and Dominick Reyes are just a few of the headline names that could offer some resistance to a potential Paulo Costa top-five surge.
For now, though, his focus needs to be on recovering after an extremely grueling battle against 'The Italian Dream'.
Marvin Vettori, meanwhile, will watch how Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 unfolds next year as he looks to make his own resurgence back to a title shot.
