Former title challenger Paulo Costa will meet Jared Cannonier in a high stakes middleweight bout at a UFC event on August 21.
Two of the UFC’s top middleweight contenders will collide on August 21 as former title challenger Paulo Costa meets Jared Cannonier in what will be the first fight for both men in 2021. MMA Junkie was first to report the news.
Paulo Costa, 13-1, is looking to get back in the win-column following his first professional loss last September where he was stopped in a title bout by Israel Adesanya. The loss snapped an incredible win-streak that saw him go through The Ultimate Fighter in 2014 and notch UFC victories over the likes of Yoel Romero, Uriah Hall, and former champion Johnny Hendricks. Costa was scheduled to face former champion Robert Whittaker last April but withdrew from the bout with roughly a month left in camp due to being sick with the flu.
Jared Cannonier, 13-5, most recently fought in October where he fell short against former champion Whittaker in what many considered to be a title eliminator for “The Killa Gorilla”. The loss snapped a three fight win-streak that he put together at middleweight against David Branch, former champion Anderson Silva, and top contender Jack Hermansson. Following the bout with Whittaker last year, Cannonier need time off to treat an injury to his shoulder that he incurred during the bout.
It is unclear whether the bout will be the headliner for the event, although it is a strong possibility considering the UFC’s August pay-per-view is already scheduled for August 07 and both contenders remain highly ranked. No venue or location have been given at this time.
