Former title challenger Paulo Costa says he can not make weight for his fight with Marvin Vettori as he weighed 211 pounds on Wednesday, and is seeking a catchweight of 195 pounds for UFC Vegas 41.
Former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa revealed on Wednesday that he is far from the 186 pound limit with less than 48 hours to go from weigh ins for his fight with Marvin Vettori this Saturday at UFC Vegas 41. “The Eraser” told the media that he weighed approximately 211 pounds and was seeking a catchweight of 195 pounds for the bout. Costa did not explain why he was so far off the limit, but said that he would reveal the reason after the fight.
Paulo Costa, currently 211 pounds, says he won't make 186 for Saturday's main event.
"Maybe we can do a catchweight of 195."#UFCVegas41 | Full video: https://t.co/2kwJyf3xZJ pic.twitter.com/wsMh6zzMRP
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) October 20, 2021
Earlier in the day, Vettori spoke with the media to say he suspected that Costa was heavy and said that he would be open to fighting him at 205 pounds if necessary. No statement from the UFC has been made as to whether or not the contracted weight for the bout will be changed. Should the fight stay at middleweight, Costa would have to make 186 pounds (one pound allowance since it is a non-title bout) on Friday morning. It should be noted, Costa can be fined for up to 30% of his purse for coming in too heavy and the commission could cancel the bout altogether if Costa is too far over the limit compared to Vettori.
Costa has never missed weight and has been a middleweight for the entirety of his professional career. He last fought in October where lost by second round knockout to Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight championship. Vettori last fought in May, losing to Adesanya by unanimous decision.
