Paulo Costa has announced his intention to have exclusively women in his corner for a future <a href="https://www.buzzineintl.com/category/mma/ufc/”>UFC fight, sparking engagement with UFC content creator Nina-Marie Daniele. Daniele has accepted his invitation to join him in this capacity for his next bout, marking a shift in how Costa assembles his fight support team.
Recent UFC Events Witnessed by Costa at Apex Facility
Costa attended the UFC Vegas 109 event at the Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday. The night’s main event saw Anthony Hernandez defeat Roman Dolidze, while Steve Erceg secured a unanimous decision win over Ode Osbourne in the co-main event. Costa’s presence underscored his active interest in ongoing UFC developments as he prepares for his return to competition.
Costa Praises Fighters Who Include Their Partners in Their Corners
In recent social media posts, Costa commended Steve Erceg and former UFC fighter Mike Perry for allowing their wives to corner their fights. Perry notably had only his wife, Latory Perry, in his corner when defeating Mickey Gall at UFC Vegas 4 in 2020. Costa highlighted this support system by writing,
”Mike Platinum Perry and Erceg bringing theirs respective wife’s to be a corner”
This admiration for female support evidently influenced Costa’s desire to innovate his corner team by including women exclusively.
Nina-Marie Daniele and Tamara Alves to Join Costa’s Corner
Following Costa’s comments, Marie Daniele suggested that his longtime girlfriend Tamara Alves should be part of his corner, stating,
”Put Tamara in your corner next!”
Costa responded by inviting Daniele to join Alves, saying,
”I would have only female corners one day. Can u come with Tamara?”
Daniele accepted the invitation with enthusiasm, expressing,
”Would be my honor! YES!!!!”
She later confirmed on social media that she will indeed corner Costa in his upcoming fight, formalizing the unique female-only corner team for the Brazilian athlete.
Costa’s Recent Career and Title Ambitions
Paulo Costa recently ended a two-fight losing streak by defeating Roman Kopylov via unanimous decision at UFC 318. At 34 years old, he is now focused on regaining middleweight title contention. Part of his strategy includes calls for a potential fight against Reinier de Ridder, whom Costa criticized after de Ridder’s performance against Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi, signaling his determination to climb back into the spotlight.
Significance of Costa’s Female Corner Strategy
Costa’s decision to assemble a female-only corner team challenges traditional UFC fight camp setups and highlights evolving gender roles within the sport’s support staff. By involving Nina-Marie Daniele, a recognized UFC content creator, alongside his partner Tamara Alves, Costa is creating a new narrative around fighter preparation that could influence others in the MMA community. As he continues to pursue his goals in the middleweight division, this approach may draw attention both inside and outside the Octagon.