Add Paulo Costa to the list of fighters who have joined forces with Eddie Hearn.
Costa (16-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) revealed that he is no longer managed by Tiki Ghosn, and he will join Hearn's Matchroom Talent Agency alongside UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and former title challenger Ian Machado Garry.
Costa, who finished Azamat Murzakanov in April, has vented his frustration toward the UFC for not giving him an interim title fight at UFC 332. He has one fight left on his contract.
"I have too much respect for what he's doing," Costa said of Hearn on "The Ariel Helwani Show." "He's a great guy, a great professional. I think we're going to do great things together. I just need to send back the email. I think everything is set up, and I'm so excited.
He handles the business very well. He's a super important person in the fight business. Not only in MMA, but not only in boxing, but he's coming to MMA right now. I think this is a great acquisition for the MMA community."
Hearn and UFC CEO Dana White continue to feud, and with Costa's vulnerable relationship with the UFC, could that negatively impact him?
"I don't think so because I don't put too much attention on this beef between them both," Costa said. "If they have this bad blood between them, it's not about me, you know? We're professionals, guys. I'm just seeing Ryan Garcia fight this guy (Benn), and I think he's still represented by Oscar (De La Hoya), right? And Oscar had that beef against Dana. I think they are very professional, much more than we thought. They can do business together and at the same time talk sh*t about each other."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Paulo Costa turns to Eddie Hearn amid frustration with UFC
