Paulo Costa publicly calls out UFC over delayed return

The Brazilian says he's ready to fight in three different weight classes, but claims the UFC keeps telling him to wait despite having just one fight left on his contract.

Paulo Costa wants to make it clear to everyone that he’s ready to fight and prove himself, but he’s publicly complaining that the UFC doesn’t seem to be giving him an opponent

Paulo Costa last stepped into the Octagon in April. At the UFC 327 event, he defeated Azamat Murzakanov, who had been undefeated until then. This was his light heavyweight debut, and after that victory, he was hoping for a quick return, but according to him, he found himself at a dead end because the UFC isn’t offering him the final fight on his contract.

"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 wrote on X.

His statement that he would fight in three weight classes shows just how strongly he is calling for his next fight. He also emphasized this in his subsequent remarks.

"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"

he added.

That said, it’s important to note that Paulo Costa has never been particularly active. The only year he fought twice was 2024; otherwise, he’s only stepped into the Octagon once a year since 2017. Between 2022 and 2024, however, he didn’t fight at all as he was in a contract dispute with the UFC.

Now he finds himself in a similar situation. He’s nearing the final fight of his contract and is wondering why the UFC isn’t making it happen, so he can become a free agent.

However, the UFC doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to move him toward title fights or anything else. Instead, he has frequently fought against up-and-coming fighters. Yet there are actually plenty of attractive matchups for Paulo Costa, especially given the opportunity to fight in different weight classes. Whether this will ultimately happen, however, is questionable. It would only be frustrating if it takes just as long for both sides to reach an agreement, causing Paulo Costa to lose valuable years.

I can understand his frustration to some extent, especially when you lose so many important years. However, we just don’t know how committed Paulo Costa is behind the scenes, or whether that’s exactly the reason. Maybe this question will be answered soon enough once a new contract is in place. We’ll just have to wait and see how these scenarios play out.