Paulo Costa claimed he was drunk hours before challenging Israel Adesanya for the UFC title in Abu Dhabi. Then he showed up way too heavy for his main event bout with Marvin Vettori. Most recently, “Borrachinha” was accused of assaulting a nurse in Brazil.
Glover Teixeira, a fellow native of Minas Gerais, Brazil, was asked by ESPN Brasil about Costa’s many controversies ahead of his first defense of the UFC light heavyweight title on Saturday against Jiri Prochazka in Singapore, and did not withhold criticism.
“I believe ‘Borrachinha’ is too corrupted by Instagram and YouTube followers, maybe he wants attention to gain followers, like Jake Paul,” Teixeira said. “I can’t say because maybe he’s doing the right thing.
“Honestly, look, he has more followers than me, right? Maybe that’s worth more money down the line, so who am I to talk? If that’s his goal, gain more followers and be the Kim Kardashian of Instagram, he’s on the right path. Now, if his goal is to become champion, he has to leave the controversies aside and focus on training, diet, and what he wants.”
Costa, who is scheduled to face Luke Rockhold in his next bout in August, has 1.1 million followers on Instagram, while Teixeira posts for a total of 330,000 fans. That said, Teixeira explained that being popular online is not his ultimate goal.
“I’m not saying he’s right or wrong,” said the UFC light heavyweight champion. “If we’re talking about money and followers, he’s right. It’s not my goal to have followers. My goal was always to be the best fighter in the world. When I retire from fighting, I’ll delete all my social media and start over.”
Loading comments...