Middleweight star Paulo Costa will remain in the UFC after signing a new four-fight deal with the company.
Costa had been at loggerheads with the UFC for months over a potential new deal as he dug his heels in over his demands for a more lucrative arrangement.
During that time he sacked his manager Wallid Ismael and installed his girlfriend Tamara Alves as his new manager, while late last year he followed through on a threat to pull out of an intended fight against Robert Whittaker in February due to his dissatisfaction with how the contract negotiations were going.
At that stage it seemed as if Costa may be on the verge of following in Francis Ngannou’s footsteps by cutting ties with the UFC altogether, but it seems that the two parties have now come to an agreement on a new deal.
“I haven’t signed the contract yet but we have reached a deal with the UFC regarding the pay,” Costa announced in an interview with PVT. “It wasn’t easy, there was a lot of hard work, and I have to highlight Tamara’s brilliant work here.”
With that major hurdle overcome, Costa is now looking ahead to potential opponents for his next fight in the UFC, with the UFC reportedly offering him either Sean Strickland in May or Khamzat Chimaev in October.
“[The UFC] wants to make sure this Chimaev fight happen at all costs, but I want to make both happen. We’ll see,” Costa said.
