Paulo Costa can beat anyone at middleweight ‘if he trains correctly,’ says his manager

Paulo Costa will remain at middleweight, his manager Wallid Ismail revealed.

Costa headlined a UFC Fight Night card back in October against fellow middleweight contender Marvin Vettori. The contest was originally slated for 185lbs, but on the week of the fight it was revealed ‘The Eraser’ could not make weight and the fight was then moved to 195lbs.

However, by the time the two weighed in, the contest was made a light heavyweight bout.

In the end, it was Vettori winning a decision, and after the fight, Dana White said Paulo Costa had to move up to light heavyweight. However, according his manager, the Brazilian powerhouse will remain at 185lbs.

“The UFC is not the biggest fighting company in the world by chance,” Ismail told Sherdog.com about Costa. “They know that ‘Borrachinha’ was injured and that’s why he had problems with his weight. There is no doubt his next fight will take place in the middleweight division.”

PhotoCred: YouTube – @Elite Fight Club

With Costa remaining at middleweight, it’s uncertain who he will fight. He’s currently ranked fifth at middleweight but is on a two-fight losing skid. However, he still is a big name in the division and Ismail says Costa is willing to take on all comers. Whoever his next opponent turns out to be, Wallid is confident his client will get his hand raised.

“We will fight whoever the UFC decides. I keep believing that ‘Borrachinha’ will be the champion,” Ismail said about Costa. “He just has to train right. His biggest problem is that he trains too much. If he trains correctly, I have no doubt no one in that division can beat him.”

Paulo Costa is 13-2 as a pro but has lost two in a row as mentioned. Before the loss to Vettori, he suffered a TKO loss to Israel Adesanya for the belt. In his UFC tenure, he holds notable wins over Yoel Romero, Uriah Hall, and Johny Hendricks.

Who would you like to see Paulo Costa fight next?