Josh Hockit shared screenshots of a text conversation with Paulo Costa in which Costa demands 100 thousand dollars from Hockit. In the exchange, Costa writes "100k and we're even. Give me my money back." Hockit responds with crude jokes about pizza, to which Costa replies that he eats a lot of pizza to gain weight and fight Hockit. Hockit captioned the post by calling Costa a "stupid Brazilian." The context behind Costa's demand for money is not explained in the post.
Paulo Costa and light heavyweight prospect Josh Hockit found themselves in an unusual social media back-and-forth this week, with the Brazilian middleweight demanding a six-figure sum from his apparent adversary.
Hockit shared screenshots of a text exchange with Costa in which the ranked middleweight wrote "100k and we're even. Give me my money back." The context behind the demand was not explained in the post. When Hockit responded with jokes about pizza, Costa fired back that he eats large quantities of pizza to bulk up and fight him. Hockit captioned the screenshots by calling Costa a "stupid Brazilian."
Costa, 35, carries a 16-4 record and currently sits at number 13 in the middleweight division. The Belo Horizonte native, who fights out of Team Borracha, is one of the more physically imposing fighters in the 185-pound class at six-foot-one with a 72-inch reach. He is one of the division's most aggressive volume strikers, landing 6.26 significant strikes per minute at a 58 percent accuracy rate — numbers that place him among the elite in that category.
Why it matters
- The source of Costa's $100,000 claim remains entirely unexplained, leaving the nature of any financial dispute between the two open to speculation.
- Costa is currently ranked 13th at middleweight, and any prolonged off-cage distraction could affect his positioning in a crowded division.
- The exchange has drawn attention to a potential matchup between the two fighters, though no official bout agreement has been reported.
Neither Costa's management nor Hockit's camp has released a formal statement clarifying the background of the demand, and the UFC has not publicly commented on the exchange.
