Josh Hockett posted screenshots of a message exchange with Paulo Costa on social media. In the exchange, Costa demands $100,000 from Hockett, writing "100k and we're even. Give me my money back." Hockett responds mockingly, first asking if Costa likes pizza, then making a crude joke when Costa confirms he eats a lot of pizza to move up and fight him. Hockett captioned the post calling Costa a "stupid Brazilian." The nature of the alleged debt between the two fighters remains unclear from the messages.
Josh Hockett has made public a private message exchange with Paulo Costa in which the ranked middleweight demands $100,000 from him, posting the screenshots to social media on April 18.
In the messages, Costa writes "100k and we're even. Give me my money back," suggesting an unresolved financial dispute between the two fighters. The nature of the alleged debt is not explained in the exchange. Hockett responded with mockery rather than clarification, asking Costa whether he likes pizza before making a crude follow-up joke after Costa said he eats heavily to move up in weight and fight him. Hockett captioned the post with a derogatory reference to Costa's nationality.
Costa, 35, is a Brazilian middleweight fighting out of Team Borracha. He carries a professional record of 16 wins and 4 losses and currently sits at number 13 in the middleweight rankings. Standing six-foot-one with a 72-inch reach, Costa has long been regarded as one of the division's most dangerous strikers, landing 6.26 significant strikes per minute at a 58 percent accuracy rate across his career.
Why it matters
- The public nature of the exchange draws attention to an unresolved dispute between a ranked middleweight contender and another fighter
- Costa's call-out within the messages adds a potential sporting dimension to what began as a financial grievance
- The tone and content of Hockett's social media post are likely to draw scrutiny beyond the financial dispute itself
