Paulo Costa says UFC keeping him waiting on final contract fight

Paulo Costa says he has been trying to book the final fight on his current UFC deal since April but has been told to wait by UFC matchmakers.

Costa stopped previously unbeaten Azamat Murzakanov with a third-round head kick at UFC 327 on April 11 in his heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight debut. The Brazilian wrote on X that he has since asked for fights at middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight but has received the same response from UFC executive Hunter Campbell.

Costa's contract frustration grows as July arrives

"Since I defeated Azamat in April, I have been looking for the next fight," Costa wrote, per Sherdog. "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'm] still looking to fight someone else at light heavyweight, middleweight or even heavyweight but the answer from [the UFC] by Hunter Campbell is the same: 'Wait.' 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."

The 35-year-old middleweight has won two straight after a rough stretch that saw him drop four of five between 2020 and 2024. Costa started his UFC run with five consecutive victories that earned him a title shot against Israel Adesanya at UFC 253, where he suffered a second-round stoppage loss.

No timetable has been announced for Costa's return to the octagon.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Paulo Costa frustrated with delay in booking final fight on current UFC deal