Paulo Costa

Paulo Henrique Costa (born 21 April 1991) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 20 June 2026, he is #4 in the Meta UFC light heavyweight rankings.

Background Costa, the son of odd-jobber Carlos Roberto and Maria Augusta, was born in 1991. He has an older brother, Carlos Costa, who is a former mixed martial artist and one of Paulo's coaches.

The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil Costa was chosen to be a fighter on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3. In the opening elimination round, he defeated José Roberto via submission (guillotine choke) in the second round. Costa was the second middleweight fighter chosen by coach Wanderlei Silva. His next fight was against Márcio Alexandre Jr., and Costa lost via split decision after three rounds.

Ultimate Fighting Championship Costa made his promotional debut on 11 March 2017, at UFC Fight Night 106 against Garreth McLellan. He won the fight via TKO in the first round, earning his first Performance of the Night award.

Costa faced Oluwale Bamgbose on 3 June 2017, at UFC 212. He won the fight via TKO in the second round.

After the fight with Bamgbose, UFC offered a new contract, but the parties did not come to an agreement on the financial terms. The UFC then proposed a fight with former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks, with a promise to renegotiate after the bout. Costa faced Hendricks on 4 November 2017, at UFC 217. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. After the bout Costa signed a new, multi-fight contract. However, Costa pulled out of the fight in mid-March with an arm injury. In turn, promotion officials elected to pull Hall from that event entirely and reschedule the pairing for 7 July 2018, at UFC 226. Costa won the fight via technical knockout in round two. The win earned him his second Performance of the Night award.

Costa was scheduled to face Yoel Romero on 3 November 2018, at UFC 230. However, Romero indicated in mid-August that, while he had been cleared to fight, his medics had recommended that he wait another four to five months to allow facial injuries incurred during his most recent fight to fully heal.

The bout was rescheduled again, and was expected to take place on 27 April 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 8. Costa was removed from the card for an undisclosed reason. He was replaced by Ronaldo Souza. Romero then pulled out of the fight due to pneumonia, and Costa was scheduled to face Souza, but a United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) investigation prevented Costa from participating, so neither Romero nor Costa competed in the event.

It was revealed that Costa had been suspended for six months by USADA and Comissão Atlética Brasileira de MMA (CABMMA) for receiving prohibited intravenous infusions (IV) more than 100 mL in 12 hours after the weigh-ins in June 2017 at UFC 212 against Oluwale Bamgbose and November 2017 at UFC 217 against Johny Hendricks. Costa was fined a third of his purse of the fights, which were reverted to his opponents. The suspension was retroactive to 10 August 2018, and Costa was eligible to fight again in February 2019. On 23 March 2020, Lucas Penchel MSc, who provided the infusions in question, accepted a two-year ban from USADA, starting on 13 March 2020.

Costa finally faced Romero on 17 August 2019, at UFC 241. He won the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.

On the strength of his five-fight win streak in the UFC, Costa faced Israel Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight Championship on 27 September 2020 at UFC 253. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round, making this his first professional loss.

Costa was scheduled to face Robert Whittaker on 17 April 2021 at UFC on ESPN 22. However, on 16 March Costa withdrew from the fight due to illness, and was replaced by Kelvin Gastelum.

Costa was scheduled to face Jared Cannonier on 21 August 2021 at UFC on ESPN 29. However, on 4 June, Costa withdrew from the bout for unknown reasons. Costa later claimed he never signed the bout agreement and cited issues with his payment, while not confirming them as the reason for his withdrawal.

Costa faced Marvin Vettori in a light heavyweight bout on 23 October 2021 at UFC Fight Night 196, which was originally scheduled as a middleweight contest and briefly changed to a catchweight bout. Costa received widespread criticism for showing up twenty-five pounds over the middleweight limit. Costa lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Costa was scheduled to face former UFC Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold on 30 July 2022, at UFC 277. However, the bout was postponed to UFC 278 for unknown reasons. Costa won the fight via unanimous decision. The fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.

Costa was scheduled to face Robert Whittaker on 12 February 2023, at UFC 284. However, Costa disputed the official announcement by the promotion indicating he had never signed a contract and the fight would not take place.

Costa was scheduled to face Ikram Aliskerov on 29 July 2023, at UFC 291. However, it was announced on 19 July that the promotion opted to scrap the pairing and instead move him to face Khamzat Chimaev on 21 October 2023, at UFC 294. In turn, Costa pulled out of the fight due to injury, and was replaced by Kamaru Usman.

Costa faced former UFC Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker on 17 February 2024, at UFC 298. Despite almost finishing Whittaker at the end of the first round with a head kick, Costa ended up losing the bout by unanimous decision.

Costa faced former UFC Middleweight champion Sean Strickland on 1 June 2024, at UFC 302. He lost the fight by split decision.

Costa was scheduled to face Roman Kopylov on 28 June 2025, at UFC 317. However, for unknown reasons, the bout was moved to UFC 318, which took place on 19 July 2025. Costa won the fight by unanimous decision.

Costa was scheduled to face Sharabutdin Magomedov on 22 November 2025, at UFC Fight Night 265. However, Magomedov withdrew due to undergoing nose surgery.

Costa was scheduled to face Brunno Ferreira on 7 March 2026 at UFC 326. However, Costa pulled out on December 26 due to undisclosed reasons and was eventually replaced by Gregory Rodrigues.

Light Heavyweight Moving up to light heavyweight, Costa faced Azamat Murzakanov on 11 April 2026, in the co-main event of UFC 327. Costa won the bout by technical knockout via head kick in the third round, handing Murzakanov the first loss of his mixed martial arts career.

Championships and accomplishments Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Garreth McLellan and Uriah Hall Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Yoel Romero & Luke Rockhold UFC Honors Awards 2019: President's Choice Fight of the Year Nominee UFC.com Awards 2017: Ranked #7 Newcomer of the Year 2019: Ranked #3 Fight of the Year Jungle Fight Jungle Fight Middleweight Championship (One time) One successful title defense MMA Junkie 2019 August Fight of the Month vs. Yoel Romero 2024 February Fight of the Month vs. Robert Whittaker Sherdog 2019 Round of the Year vs. Yoel Romero (round 1) ESPN 2020 Rivalry of the Year

Controversies

Alleged assault on a nurse On 31 May 2022, Costa was questioned by the police in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, regarding an incident in which he was accused of striking a nurse with his elbow during a dispute over a COVID-19 vaccination card. Costa claimed he was already vaccinated but had not had it recorded on his vaccination card, and that he asked the nurse to sign his card. The nurse, however, claimed that Costa had not been vaccinated and refused to sign, and that he attempted to flee with the filled-out vaccination card without the shot being administered. She went on to say that in an effort to prevent him from leaving, she grabbed Costa by the arm, and she was hit with an elbow to her face, which caused her lips to become swollen. No charges were filed.

Mixed martial arts record Win

Azamat Murzakanov TKO (head kick) UFC 327

Miami, Florida, United States Win

Roman Kopylov Decision (unanimous) UFC 318

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States Loss

Sean Strickland Decision (split) UFC 302

Newark, New Jersey, United States Loss

Robert Whittaker Decision (unanimous) UFC 298

Anaheim, California, United States Win

Luke Rockhold Decision (unanimous) UFC 278

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States Loss

Marvin Vettori Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Israel Adesanya TKO (punches and elbows) UFC 253

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Win

Yoel Romero Decision (unanimous) UFC 241

Anaheim, California, United States Win

Uriah Hall TKO (punches) UFC 226

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Johny Hendricks TKO (punches) UFC 217

New York City, New York, United States Win

Oluwale Bamgbose TKO (punches) UFC 212

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Win

Garreth McLellan TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum

Fortaleza, Brazil Win

Adriano Balby de Araujo KO (punch) Jungle Fight 90

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Eduardo Ramón Submission (rear-naked choke) Jungle Fight 87

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Bruno Assis TKO (punches) Jungle Fight 84

São Paulo, Brazil Win

Wagner Silva Gomes TKO (punches) Face to Face 11

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Win

Gérson da Conceição TKO (doctor stoppage) Face to Face 9

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Win

Fábio Moreira TKO (punches) BH Fight: MMA Grand Prix

Belo Horizonte, Brazil Win

Ademilson Borges TKO (head kick and punches) Upper Fight: MMA Championship 2

Teófilo Otoni, Brazil Win

Téo Esteves TKO (head kick and punches) MMA Total Combat: Santa Luzia

Santa Luzia, Brazil Loss

Márcio Alexandre Jr. Decision (split)

(airdate)

Win

José Roberto Submission (guillotine choke) (airdate)

Pay-per-view bouts