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Paulo Costa is prepared to step in and replace Robert Whittaker to fight Marvin Vettori again at UFC 275.
Costa hasn't fought since a unanimous decision loss to Vettori in October 2021 and seems to be having some trouble getting another fight lined up. Vettori was originally scheduled to face Robert Whittaker in Singapore for UFC 275, but recently made a Twitter post implying his opponent has withdrawn from the bout.
While there's been no confirmation from the UFC regarding Whittaker's status, Paulo Costa didn't hesitate to call for a rematch. He wrote:
"Vettori needs a pair to fight? Oh really? Lol how funny is it ? send me the location dumbest"
Even if Robert Whittaker does end up withdrawing from UFC 275, it's unlikely that Costa will be the one to replace him against Marvin Vettori. The two just fought, with Vettori beating Costa via 48-46x3 scores.
Costa also came into that fight extremely overweight, forcing the UFC to switch the bout from a middleweight to a light heavyweight contest. That left him in the bad graces of both Vettori and the UFC.
It's still unclear whether the promotion has given Costa permission to compete at 185 pounds again. Costa's manager claims they have. UFC president Dana White has never publicly updated his stance that Costa 'isn't a middleweight.'
Paulo Costa details difficulty in finding another opponent
Paulo Costa has been attempting to create hype for another fight over social media but has not had much luck. He spoke with Sherdog about how hard it's been to find someone to fight, saying:
"I tried to fight Sean Strickland, he called me out to fight in December but I could not. I told him, I was injured, my foot was injured. But I told him we could do June or July. But when I'm able to fight, he dissapoint me. He choose to fight someone out of rank. He choose to fight Alex [Periera], who is unranked guy, so I don't understand why he did that. So I called out Derek Brunson because we're the same position in the rankings. And he run away, he says 'I have something to do, I will not fight right now.'"
As for Luke Rockhold, Costa said:
"So we look for a fight with someone on the rankings. I hear we have Rockhold. I want that fight but I don't know if it's the best decision because he's unranked. I have to fight someone in the ranks."
Costa agreed that Jack Hermansson, Kelvin Gastelum, or Darren Till would all be acceptable opponents.
Watch the full Sherdog interview with Paulo Costa below:
