Paulo Costa says he tried to fix UFC 332 and got turned down.
Costa went at the promotion on social media on Saturday after the main event was announced. Natalia Silva and Wang Cong will fight for the vacant women’s flyweight title on October 3 in Salt Lake City, a booking made necessary when Valentina Shevchenko vacated the belt with a shoulder and back injury. The reaction to it was not warm.
Costa says he offered an alternative.
UFC could put LHW interim belt in line for this, I told them but they refused to, so🤷🏻♂️
He laid out the reasoning.
UFC stripped Valentina out from her belt due injury. Also Carlos Ulberg is injured and MAYBE fight second semester 2027. Put the LHW interim belt in line, and I WILL COME TO SAVE THE LHW DIVISION! UFC REFUSED TO PUT LHW INTERIM BELT IN LINE. Why? I don’t know.
He is not interested without one.
I have only one fight to become free agent. If there no belt on the line, I’m, gonna fight someone else for 3 rds and get out of the UFC contract.
Shevchenko was not stripped. She vacated the title, and the UFC has guaranteed her a shot when she recovers.
The light heavyweight situation is real enough. Carlos Ulberg tore his ACL at UFC 327 in April in the same fight he won the title, knocking out Jiri Prochazka. He said during a fan session in China that he intends to defend early next year, and the UFC appears willing to wait into 2027 rather than create an interim belt.
That timeline does not suit Costa. On his own account, he will have fought out his contract and left before Ulberg is back.
