LAS VEGAS — Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event between Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori appears to be in jeopardy after Costa admitted on Wednesday he does not intend to make weight for the 185-pound contest.
During a joint interview with ESPN on Wednesday evening, Costa (13-1) and Vettori (17-4-1) agreed to fight one another at a catchweight of 195 pounds. The UFC has not yet commented on the matter, however, and there would still be logistical hurdles to resolve that change in weight.
Costa, of Brazil, claimed it was actually the UFC’s decision to pursue a change in weight. He said he weighed approximately 211 pounds on Wednesday.
If the weight class changes, there would still be a question of whether Costa would be fined for missing the original weight. Costa told Vettori on Wednesday to not make excuses or ask that he be fined. Vettori answered, “I’m going to get all your money.”
“I’m ready to fight Saturday, Marvin or some other guy, I don’t care,” Costa said. “I don’t care for weight or who I face on Saturday. I just came here to Vegas. I’m doing a lot of stuff, a lot of interviews, and I’m looking for Saturday to do an amazing fight. I hope Marvin comes to Saturday to fight and we bring a great show.”
Vettori, of Italy, said he doesn’t care what weight the fight takes place at, but said he resented Costa for this late change.
“It just shows he’s not elite,” Vettori said. “If he was elite, he’d be showing up at the right weight and he’d make sure the main event happens. By doing this, he’ll bring so many problems to the table. The fight is this close to being scratched. This is not what I go by.”
Costa and Vettori are coming off failed title bids against defending champion Israel Adesanya. Costa suffered a TKO loss to Adesanya in September 2020. Vettori challenged Adesanya for the belt in June and lost via five-round decision.