UFC middleweight contender Reinier de Ridder has given his thoughts on Paulo Costa after claiming that talks of a fight between them fell through.
This Saturday night, Reinier de Ridder will attempt to lock up a UFC middleweight championship shot when he goes head to head with Brendan Allen. The two will battle it out in the main event of UFC Vancouver, with Allen serving as a late notice replacement for Anthony Hernandez who pulled out due to injury.
For Reinier de Ridder, the path to a world title opportunity is clear - and if he can beat Allen convincingly, he'll surely be next in line for a showdown with Chimaev. Of course, there are some other names floating around the 185-pound division, including Paulo Costa.
In a recent interview, RDR had the following to say about the Brazilian.
Reinier de Ridder offers Paulo Costa some advice
“Costa was up first. We were in conversation with him first, but he put up too many stipulations. He wanted a catchweight, wanted three rounds instead of five. So we said, if you don't want it, then you don't get it. And then we moved on to Brendan, which I'm very happy with as well.”
“If you get an opportunity like that, don't be an idiot. Just say yes and don't put any stipulations there. He would've had a great chance to be back into title conversation, but he put all the stipulations there and we said we'll move on and see if there's somebody else who just wants to take the fight.”