The previously announced fight between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa, scheduled for UFC 282 in Perth, Australia, is not happening. Costa appeared on a recent episode of The MMA Hour to reveal the negotiations that failed to bring the bout to fruition.
“I say I want new terms to fight [Whittaker]. I will not [fight] for the same money. It’s a main event in Australia. The people from Australia will be there. It’s a great fight. So [$70,000] is not enough for that. Just go a little bit higher, and they said no.
Paulo Costa Reveals the Negotiations Behind Failed Whittaker Fight
They said, [UFC President] Dana White’s lawyer, [UFC CBO] Hunter Campbell, said ‘We need to make a new six-fight deal.’ I said, ‘No, I’m not going to talk about six fights more. I talk about that one.’ That makes sense. Why you bring six fights in? I’m talking about that one, to fight Whittaker, not six more. It doesn’t make sense to me.
I’m not looking for six more fights, not at the numbers that he sent me. I don’t think this makes sense. I’m talking about one fight specifically, not six. I did this in the past, five years ago, 2017, and I’m paying for this mistake even now, because I’m so [outdated].”
Costa was unimpressed by the $70,000 to show, $70,000 to win offer stipulated in his contract. Costa believes that the UFC deliberately underpays its Brazilian fighters.
“I think they just actually offer very low numbers for Brazilians. Maybe they think, Ah, those motherf****** in Brazil, they live in the jungle, they don’t need real money because the currency’s like five times less than dollars, so let’s pay bulls***.’”
Costa, as it stands, isn’t budging in his pursuit of a better deal. “At some point, I should say stop, I will not do that. But I didn’t, because we’re Brazilians — we just want to fight. We don’t care too much. They say, ‘OK, you fight that way, let’s go. You fight the No. 5 [ranked fighter],’ [and we’ll say,] ‘Let’s go, I’m OK with that, for the same money.’
We are doing that for a long time, but it’s doesn’t help the business for the athletes. This is horrible for the business on the fighter’s side. So you cannot just say yes. Somebody said, ‘If you are good at something, don’t do it for free — or for s*** money.’ … I did a lot in the past, and it’s enough.”
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