Josh Hockett shares text exchange with Paulo Costa demanding $100k

Paulo Costa found himself in an unlikely social media moment this week when Josh Hockett published screenshots of an apparent text exchange between the two, with the Brazilian middleweight demanding $100,000.

In the messages Hockett shared, Costa wrote "100k and we're even. Give me my money back," a demand Hockett responded to with crude humor rather than any apparent acknowledgment of a debt. Costa, seemingly undeterred, replied that he was eating large amounts of pizza to bulk up for a fight with Hockett. Hockett captioned the post by calling Costa a "stupid Brazilian." The origin of any financial dispute between the two, and whether the exchange was entirely serious, remains unclear.

Costa, nicknamed "The Eraser," is a 35-year-old middleweight from Brazil who fights out of Team Borracha. He carries a professional record of 16-4 and is currently ranked thirteenth in the middleweight division. Standing six-foot-one with a 72-inch reach, he is one of the more physically imposing fighters in the 185-pound class. His striking output is notably high, averaging 6.26 significant strikes landed per minute at a 58 percent accuracy rate, making him one of the more dangerous stand-up fighters the division has produced.

Why it matters

• Costa sits at number thirteen in the middleweight rankings, and any public dispute affecting his relationships or focus carries divisional relevance.
• The context of the alleged $100,000 demand has not been explained by either party, leaving the nature of the disagreement entirely open.
• The tone of the exchange — mixing apparent grievance with jokes about pizza and a potential fight — makes it difficult to gauge how seriously either man views the situation.