UFC: Dana White blasts Paulo Costa for demanding more money

UFC, Dana White
SHANGHAI, CHINA - JUNE 20: Dana White, UFC President gives a speech during 2019 UFC Performance Institute Panel and UFC Fight Night Shenzhen Press Conference at UFC Performance Institute Shanghai on June 20, 2019 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Yifan Ding/Getty Images)

Last week we learned that Paulo Costa (13-1) had withdrawn from his UFC main event in August. Costa was set to take on Jared Cannonier. The fight would have been Costa’s first since his failed attempt to become middleweight champion at UFC 253.

The initial reasons for Costa’s withdraw were unknown. This was the second straight main event spot that Costa had withdrawn from. Back in April, Costa withdrew from a main event against former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. That time, Costa had the flu which is why he had to withdraw from the fight.

However, this time was something completely different. Costa took to Twitter where he voiced some current frustrations with the UFC. The former middleweight title challenger said he never signed a contract for his August fight and he expects more money if they want him to fight.

These comments were brought to UFC president Dana White this week by TSN. In an interview with TSN. White spoke openly about Costa’s recent remarks and he didn’t hold anything back in regards to Paulo Costa.

UFC Fighter Pay Issue

White told TSN, “Guess what, you (Costa) should’ve started a YouTube channel when you were f**king 13 years old and built your name up. But guess what, you didn’t. You’re not a f**king YouTuber, you’re a fighter. You’re in no position to be talking about crazy money after your last performance.”

Of course, White is referencing Costa’s UFC 253 performance as well as the Paul brothers with that comment. Costa knows the Paul brothers and he’s trained with Logan Paul. Logan Paul made an estimated $20 million for his boxing exhibition against Floyd Mayweather Sunday night.

I think the majority of people would like to see UFC fighters make more money. Jon Jones has been one of the athletes who’s been the most vocal in regards to demanding more money from the promotion.

Now, I can also see the UFC’s side of things. The UFC’s stance is that fighters sign a contract and they have no obligation to pay more than the contract states. Usually, the promotion pays more than the listed pay, but some fighters still believe that the number is far too low.

Paulo Costa is one of those fighters. Now, in this case, I have to side with Dana White. In reality, Paulo Costa is in no position to demand more money from the UFC. His last performance was atrocious and he’s not a massive draw. Jon Jones has an argument, Paulo Costa simply does not.

Ultimately, I think Costa will take a fight with the UFC in the next few months once things settle down. However, I guarantee that he’s not going to see a bump in his pay for his next fight.