The American fighter revealed a day earlier that his opponent has yet to sign a contract for the fight, which is two weeks away, and the Brazilian claims that the former UFC champion’s fears are unfounded.
Paulo Costa’s manager and wife, Tamara Alves, told Brazilian publication Super Lutas.
“The contract came yesterday and was immediately signed,” Alves stated. “We had long negotiations about this fight and once we came to an agreement, the contract was sent to us and we signed it.”
Although the fight between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev is officially a contender fight, Alves believes her husband could be the frontrunner in the title race should he win brightly.
“There are two options. The winner of the Whittaker-Chimaev fight and the winner of the Costa-Strickland fight. I believe the fighter who shows the best performance will get the next title shot.”
As a reminder, the middleweight fight between Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa will be the second main event of UFC 302, which takes place June 1 in Newark.