Jared Cannonier understands why Paulo Costa withdrew from their fight: “I can’t hate on him”

UFC middleweight Jared Cannonier understands why divisional rival Paulo Costa withdrew from their fight, saying that “I can’t hate on him.”

Cannonier and Costa were expected to fight this summer in a high-profile middleweight bout that could have seen the winner get close to a title shot at 185lbs. However, Costa pulled out of the fight, and he later went on a rant about fighter pay in the UFC, which company president Dana White responded to in a negative fashion. While Costa pulled out and left Cannonier without an opponent, his rival can’t hate on him. In fact, Cannonier has a lot of respect for what Costa is doing by sticking to his guns.

Speaking to Submission Radio, Cannonier gave his thoughts on UFC fighter pay.

“Well, I don’t know how much he’s getting paid per fight, but it’s a common argument. MMA fighters, UFC fighters, MMA in general fighters don’t get paid as much in comparison to the organizations or the promotions are getting paid. So, yeah, I mean, I understand the argument. I can’t hate on him or knock him or chastise him for having his stance. It’s a very bold stance to say, ‘I’m not gonna fight unless you guys pay me some more money.’ But, yeah, someone’s gotta fight for us fighters to get paid more,” Cannonier said (h/t Farah Hannoun of MMAjunkie.com).

“And I’m not gonna turn down a fatter paycheck either. So, it is what it is. It’s his choice. With that being said, he has to be able to deal with the consequences of that, not fighting and maybe even losing his position. He’s ranked No. 2 right there. He’s just fought for the title, so he’s right there. He can get right back in there with a few wins. But once you get a title fight, that’s when you start getting pay-per-view points, that’s when I hear the money starts rolling in. I wouldn’t know. I’m not there yet.”

Are you surprised Jared Cannonier was so understanding about Paulo Costa’s withdrawal?