Dana White doubles down on Paulo Costa moving up to light heavyweight: “He’s a 205lbs fighter”

UFC president Dana White doubled down on Paulo Costa moving up to light heavyweight, saying that “he’s a 205lbs fighter now.”

Costa showed up heavy to fight week last week and his planned middleweight bout against Marvin Vettori was moved up to light heavyweight after Costa couldn’t make the 185lbs middleweight limit. The fight turned out to be a war between two very tough and durable fighters, but ultimately, it was Vettori earning the decision. Either way, there was some thought that because Costa performed so well in the fight, and since it was his first time missing weight in the UFC, that White could cut him some slack and give him another chance to make the middleweight limit. Apparently not so.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, White doubled down on his assertion that Costa is now permanently a light heavyweight. As far as White goes, he can no longer make 185.

“He can’t. He’s already proven that he can’t make the weight. Why would we go through this again? Why would we put him through that again? He’s a 205lbs fighter now. So we just gotta figure out what the next move is, and who he fights first in that division,” White said.

It will be interesting to see who White and the UFC matchmakers pit against Costa for his next fight in the 205lbs division. He is currently ranked No. 5 at middleweight, so there is certainly a good chance that the UFC would give him a top-15 ranked opponent right off the bat in the light heavyweight division. It will also be intriguing to find out if Costa is able to compete with the other big fighters in the 205lbs division.

Do you agree with Dana White and the UFC being adamant that Paulo Costa moves up to light heavyweight, or do you think he should get another shot at middleweight?