Paulo Costa’s contractual complaints with the UFC continue. Last month, in July, the Brazilian turned down a short-notice opportunity to face Magomed Ankalaev at UFC Abu Dhabi, citing the lack of any additional financial incentive despite the difficult circumstances.
With less than two weeks’ notice, a lengthy trip to Abu Dhabi, and a five-round main event waiting for him, Costa felt the offer simply wasn’t worth taking. Now, with an interim 205-pound title fight reportedly being shelved for UFC 332 and the company rejecting his request to compete for the belt, Costa has once again questioned the promotion’s decisions.
For the unversed, Valentina Shevchenko was originally scheduled to face Natalia Silva on the October 3 card. However, a ligament injury to her back and shoulders forced her to vacate the title, with Wang Cong stepping in to face Silva for the vacant belt. The matchup has since been promoted to the new main event.
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Costa has revealed that he asked to be released from his contract after the UFC rejected his request, but the promotion has no plans to let him walk.
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, the Brazilian revealed, “We already asked to be released but they refused. They said, ‘No, we’re not going to release you. You need to do one more at least.’ Actually, I’ve been asking for this a couple of times.”
He added, “The most recent was like days ago. … It’s not about relationships. We are professionals. Just go, show up, fight, that’s it. I’m very professional, they are professional as well. It’s not about relationship. I’m an honest guy.”
Costa made it clear that he doesn’t fake anything and has no desire to go against the UFC. He simply wants the biggest fights against the biggest names, especially with just one fight remaining on his current deal.
As previously mentioned, with champion Carlos Ulberg sidelined due to ACL surgery, Costa wanted to compete for the interim light heavyweight title while the promotion was struggling to find a new UFC 332 main event.
Costa clearly feels the UFC missed an opportunity to give fans a more exciting card. He added, “I’m sad because I think we could have given a much better fight card going on for the Salt Lake City fans. I don’t think fans are so happy, I’m not happy, but it’s not about me.”
The Brazilian also pointed to the lack of movement since his most recent win over Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327 in April. He said, “I’ve asked to fight since May. I asked them to fight in June, July, August. They told me to wait. I don’t know why. Maybe because the light heavyweight division is a little bit uncertain; it didn’t have too much fighters available.”
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Costa then explained how the UFC first approached him about replacing someone on short notice at UFC Abu Dhabi.
He added, “The guys coming from losses and stuff. So, I was waiting for a fight; I was asking for a fight. They first came up with five days’ short notice to fight (Magomed Ankalaev) in Abu Dhabi. Of course I say, ‘Come on.’ Any time, give me a decent date, give me a schedule, but they didn’t give me that.”
The Brazilian then returned to his UFC 332 complaint and made it clear that he believes an interim title fight should have been on the table. “I asked to fight in Salt Lake City; I asked to fight everywhere. California, UFC Noche, but for some reason, UFC doesn’t want to put the interim light heavyweight belt on the line. I think this is a disaster.”
Costa claims the UFC eventually came back to him with another opponent, but he wasn’t willing to accept another five-round fight under his current pay and contract. The Brazilian has been with the promotion for nearly a decade but has competed just 12 times during that span, putting together an 8-4 record.
He also challenged for the middleweight title as an undefeated fighter when he faced Israel Adesanya in 2020. Since that loss, Costa has been trying to work his way back toward another championship opportunity. However, his inactivity has made that difficult, as he has fought just six times in the six years since the Adesanya defeat, in large part due to his inactivity
For now, Costa appears determined to get the kind of fight he believes matches his position in the UFC. Whether the promotion finally gives him a worthy opponent or keeps him waiting remains to be seen.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
