Getty Paulo Costa & Luke Rockhold
Former UFC middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa could be moving on to boxing “in a few short months,” according to a recent tweet from the man known for trolling.
“Borrachinha” is one of the biggest online MMA personalities nowadays, and he’s known to run his Twitter fingers daily. Costa is scheduled to fight ex-185-pound champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia on February 12. But, according to the Brazilian, his UFC contract will “expire” soon and switching up combat sports may be in his future.
“My miserable contract with the UFC was up in a few short months. will expire in time. A new #boxer is coming to town!” Costa tweeted on November 2.
It’s unclear how serious Costa is about the potential move, but with MMA icon Nate Diaz recently fighting out his UFC contract to try his hands at boxing, it’s possible Costa is considering it.
Costa last fought in August when he bested former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold via unanimous decision after a bloody three rounds at UFC 281 in August. The victory snapped Borrachinha’s two-fight losing skid and he improved his professional mixed martial arts record to 14-2.
Whittaker Wasn’t Impressed With Costa’s Win Over Rockhold
Whittaker was recently featured on Submission Radio, and the Australian gave his take on Costa’s recent performance.
“Luke landing effective shots on Costa is no surprise,” Whittaker said (h/t MMA Junkie). “He’s going to land shots no matter who he fights, really. But in saying that, Luke himself said it as well: He didn’t want to be there. Like, his will to fight was just not there. He was kind of just like, ‘Oh man, let’s just get through this.’
“And Costa still struggled with a Rockhold that did not want to be there. And he was getting tagged and hit. He had a lot of openings, he had a lot of holes. So as for what do I think of his performance in that fight? I don’t know. … It’s not great. Not great. Not bad, but not great.”
Whittaker Is Taking His Preparation Seriously, Called Costa ‘A Specimen’
Even though Whittaker (24-6) wasn’t overly impressed with Costa’s performance against Rockhold, “The Reaper” plans to leave no stone unturned during his preparation for the upcoming contest.
“I think he’s a tough guy, and I’m taking this fight with all the respect that I do every other fight,” Whittaker said. “I’m going to go in there in February the best version of myself, and I think the best version of myself is better than everybody else in the division. I think skill-wise, I’m better than Paulo across the board. He probably benches more than me. But my bench isn’t crazy anyway.
“He’s very well-rounded. He’s a very, very well-rounded fighter, and obviously he’s an athlete – a specimen. He’s got a lot of power, torque and explosiveness. But I’d like to think I’m all of those things, as well – and better.”
Whittaker’s most recent victory came over Marvin Vettori, the last man to defeat Costa, in September.