Reinier de Ridder dismisses Paulo Costa's callout: 'I don't think he's at my level'

De Ridder Brushes Aside Costa Trash Talk: "He Has Some Work To Do"

Striker Downplays Callout, Eyes Title Shot Instead

Reigning middleweight contender Reinier de Ridder is unfazed by Paulo Costa’s recent criticism and call-out following De Ridder's split decision victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 9.

Costa, who bounced back from a two-fight losing streak with a win over Roman Kopylov at UFC 318, took to X (formerly Twitter) to declare: "With all due respect, I would knock out de Ridder 3 x wich round. All that said congrats for your win today , despite bad fight."

An apparent account under De Ridder's name on the platform then responded, challenging Costa to a November showdown at Madison Square Garden. However, De Ridder’s manager Ali Abdelaziz confirmed the account was fake, suggesting Costa might have been behind both posts.

While admitting Costa put on a good performance against Kopylov, De Ridder dismissed his call-out, stating: "He's a funny dude. It would lead to a nice press conference and a nice build-up, but I don't give a f*ck what he says. You can call me whatever you want to call me. Call me gay every day of the week. I don't mind. Maybe one day (we'll fight). But at the moment, I don't think he's there. I don't think he's at my level – though he did do very well in his last fight. He does pretty well against southpaws with the body kick and the straight right hand. So, he's alright, but I think he has some work to do first."

De Ridder is currently focused on securing a title shot rather than engaging in a matchup with Costa.