"He made a lot of difference in my life"- Paulo Costa gets emotional while talking about his friend and training partner, and how he has helped him in his life

Paulo Costa got emotional while talking about his friend, training partner, and guide Kelson Pinto. The 45-year-old former professional boxer is best known for his fights with boxing legend Miguel Cotto.

Besides, Pinto notably captured a gold medal at the 1999 Pan American Games as an amateur. Speaking to ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, Costa emphasized that training with Pinto has helped him change his life for the better. ‘The Eraser’ stated:

“I found some very good people. I deserve a lot of credit to Kelson Pinto. That guy is amazing. I even get emotional when I talk about him.” When asked who Pinto was, Costa said, “Kelson Pinto, he make a lot of difference on my life… He’s a former boxer. He fought Cotto, twice; Miguel Cotto. He won one. He lost the rest.”

While he was unable to hold back his tears, Costa still continued, “He made a lot of difference in my life… He’s very special, man. He’s a true guy, not fake.” Indicating that he wasn’t prepared for the interview’s emotional turn, Costa noted, “Oh, my God! I was not prepared for that.”

Later, in the same interview, ‘The Eraser’ explained that Pinto truly cares about him and is a sincere teacher. Costa suggested that the boxing veteran has taught him a few important skills he previously didn't possess.

That includes in-and-out movement and other footwork techniques. Furthermore, the 31-year-old pointed out that Pinto has helped him stay injury-free during his training camp and cut weight efficiently.

Watch Costa discuss the topic at 1:46 in the video below:

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Paulo Costa opens up about his weight cut ahead of UFC 278 fight with Luke Rockhold

The No. 6-ranked UFC middleweight Paulo Costa is scheduled to fight former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold at UFC 278 on August 20. Ahead of his all-important showdown, Costa recently addressed the ongoing speculation regarding his purported weight cut issues.

Costa was part of a major weight debacle in his last fight against Marvin Vettori in 2021. ‘The Eraser’ was unable to weigh in under the middleweight limit, then failed to make the 195-pound catchweight limit.

Resultantly, the Vettori matchup was contested at light heavyweight. Regardless, on the second episode of UFC 278 Embedded Series, Paulo Costa insinuated that he’s had his best weight cut ever ahead of his fight against Luke Rockhold. Costa said:

"I have never arrived to fight week as light as I am now. With good lean muscle mass. I used to arrive weakened. This time, maybe because of my methodology, the way I've been training, moving nonstop, helped me to lose weight."

Watch Paulo Costa's assessment below: