UFC 327 marked a major resurgence for Paulo Costa. The Brazilian star delivered one of the biggest wins of his career, knocking out Azamat Murzakanov and ending the previously unbeaten contender’s 16-0 record. The statement victory vaulted Costa into the light heavyweight top 10, where he now holds the No. 4 spot in the latest Meta UFC rankings after spending the majority of his tenure competing at middleweight.
Despite the momentum, Costa remains without a booked fight. Although he has previously expressed interest in returning to 185 pounds and has even floated the idea of competing at heavyweight against Josh Hokit, the UFC has yet to finalize his next opponent. Frustrated by the lack of movement, Costa took to social media to publicly call out the promotion, revealing that he has only one fight remaining on his current contract and is eager to get back into action as soon as possible.
I have 3 options right now at ufc :
1. Fight for 185 belt – Strickland rematch
2 .fight at heavyweight weight Hokit
3 . Ask for ufc release me of my last fight contract and go face Mike “The Platinum” Perry at Netflix .— Paulo Costa (@BorrachinhaMMA) May 19, 2026
According to Costa, he has made himself available to compete across three different weight classes, but UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell has repeatedly asked him to remain patient. The situation has apparently dragged on since his April victory, with no fight announcement in sight as July approaches.
Taking to X, Costa wrote, “Since I defeated Azamat in April, I have been looking for the next fight. I’ve eventually opened the door to fight at heavyweight. UFC told me to wait…wait…Here we are, it’s already July and I still looking to fight someone else at light heavyweight, middleweight or even heavyweight, but the answer from @ufc by Hunter Campbell is the same: ‘Wait’.”
He added, “I want to fight I don’t want to wait. I have just one more fight at my contract, and I want this fight happen soon , but for some reason they don’t.”
Since I defeated Azamat in April, I have been looking for the next fight. I ve eventually opened the door to fight at heavyweight. UFC told me to wait…wait…
Here we are it’s already July and I still looking to fight someone else at Lightheavyweight, middleweight or even…— Paulo Costa (@BorrachinhaMMA) June 29, 2026
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Costa’s frustration is particularly ironic given his recent activity level. Since 2017, he has fought more than once in a calendar year only once, in 2024, when he suffered back-to-back losses against Robert Whittaker and Sean Strickland. However, Costa’s desire to stay active comes after a stretch of years in which he has become increasingly associated with canceled or postponed fights.
Most recently, Costa was scheduled to face Brunno Ferreira at UFC 326 in March 2026. The matchup generated significant interest, but Costa withdrew from the bout late in the year for undisclosed reasons, leading to Gregory Rodrigues stepping in as his replacement. Before that, Costa was set to fight Roman Kopylov at UFC 317 in June 2025, but a sudden virus disrupted the final weeks of his training camp and forced him out. Fortunately, the fight was not canceled altogether and was rescheduled for UFC 318 one month later, where Costa earned a unanimous decision victory.
Perhaps the most notable withdrawal of his career came ahead of UFC 294 in October 2023, when he was booked to face Khamzat Chimaev in a highly anticipated co-main event. Just weeks before the fight, Costa developed a severe staph infection in his right elbow that required emergency surgery and a lengthy hospital stay. Despite attempting to remain on the card, he was ultimately ruled medically unfit, and former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman stepped in on short notice.
Earlier that same year, Costa’s proposed clash with Robert Whittaker at UFC 284 also collapsed, though under very different circumstances. The UFC announced the fight for Perth, but Costa publicly disputed the booking, claiming the promotion had revealed the matchup without his agreement in an effort to pressure him into accepting a contract offer he considered inadequate. As a result, the fight never materialized.
Despite the setbacks and canceled bookings, Costa has managed to rebuild momentum inside the Octagon. The Brazilian currently holds a 3-2 record in his last five appearances and is riding a winning streak following his breakthrough victory over Murzakanov. With renewed momentum and a single fight remaining on his contract, it will be interesting to see how quickly the UFC grants Costa’s request to return to action and who ultimately receives the call to face him next.
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