Paulo Costa has had enough with the UFC, and he’s making sure everyone knows about it. ‘The Eraser’ hasn’t fought since April, when he smashed Azamat Murzakanov with a TKO at UFC 327 to finally get himself back in the win column. You’d think that would be enough to get the phone ringing. Apparently not.
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Months later, the 35-year-old is still sitting around waiting for his next fight, and now he’s putting UFC executive Hunter Campbell on blast over it. Taking to X, the Brazilian blasted the promotion for being unable to find him a “regular” three-round fight and called upon other light heavyweights to step up.
“Its incredible CRAZY how Hunter won’t give me a regular, standard three-round fight,” Costa wrote. “He saying nobody is available till, maybe next year. Can you believe this bullsh-t? lol. If you’re an LHW in @ufc roster and want to fight, let’s bring it to him.”
But Paulo Costa’s issue apparently goes beyond simply not having a fight booked. The No. 4-ranked light heavyweight also seems to be taking issue with the UFC’s willingness to offer him five-round fights without giving him any extra money for the added work.
‘The Eraser’ has made his stance pretty clear: if the UFC wants him to fight for 25 minutes instead of 15, he wants to be paid accordingly. Otherwise, he’s not interested.
“I’m not going to take 5 rounds for the price of 3. That would be stupid—it’s definitely stupid; anyone who does that is an idiot,” the former middleweight title challenger wrote in response to a post from Championship Rounds.
Things get even more interesting when you look at Costa’s contract situation. Paulo Costa reportedly has just one more fight left on his UFC deal, and this isn’t the first time he’s tried to get out of it.
The Brazilian has previously revealed that he and his team asked the promotion for his release multiple times, only to have those requests turned down.
According to Costa, the UFC’s message was pretty simple: he still has to fight at least once before they’ll consider letting him go.
“We already asked to be released but they refused,” Costa said during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show. “They said, ‘No, we’re not going to release you. You need to do one more at least.’”
Costa has also claimed that the UFC has offered him five-round fights without bumping up his paycheck, which clearly hasn’t done much to convince him to sign on the dotted line. At this point, he seems to be looking for one of two things: a normal three-round fight or a shot at a title.
There was even some talk of ‘The Eraser’ fighting Jiri Prochazka for an interim light heavyweight title at UFC 332, but that matchup never came together. With reigning champion Carlos Ulberg currently sidelined after suffering an ACL injury in his last fight, the division’s plans are seemingly stuck in limbo until he’s ready to return in 2027.
That could leave Paulo Costa waiting around for quite a while, and judging by his latest comments, he really, really isn’t interested in sitting on the sidelines until next year.
It is worth noting that Costa isn’t the only UFC fighter who has complained about being left in limbo.
Earlier this year, Colby Covington made a similar accusation, claiming the promotion can freeze fighters out when they turn down matchups or push back against their plans.
‘Chaos’ had been sitting out since December 2024 and was hoping to land a spot on the UFC’s White House card. When that didn’t happen, the former interim welterweight champion argued that fighters don’t exactly have much leverage when it comes to negotiating their next fight.
Colby Covington eventually decided to call it a career, notifying the UFC of his retirement from MMA in May 2026. He walked away with an interim welterweight title on his résumé and a 12-5 record inside the Octagon.
Paulo Costa’s situation isn’t exactly the same, but there are some obvious similarities. He’s clearly not happy with how things are playing out, especially with his team having reportedly asked for his release multiple times.
Magomed Ankalaev joins Paulo Costa in his frustration
And now, Paulo Costa’s rant has caught the attention of another light heavyweight. Magomed Ankalaev jumped into the conversation, claiming the UFC had actually tried to put the two men together several times.
Replying directly to ‘The Eraser,’ Ankalaev claimed that the UFC executives Hunter Campbell and Mick Maynard had offered him the fight on multiple occasions, suggesting the matchup may have been available after all.
“Hunter and Mick offered me this fight 3–4 times,” Ankalaev wrote. “I said yes every time. Three rounds, five rounds—I don’t care. You’re a top contender, I’m #1.”
Paulo Costa didn’t exactly shy away from the idea. Instead, he was all for it and immediately put the ball back in the UFC’s court.
“I agree with you in everything, now it’s up to @ufc and Hunter pay us accordingly to make that fight happen this year,” Costa replied. “It can be November or December, it’s up to your schedule and up to UFC do the right thing.”
So, there’s a fight sitting right there if both men are available. The bigger question is whether the UFC is willing to make it happen, especially with the Brazilian’s contract situation and his insistence that he be paid properly for the matchup.
For now, the 35-year-old doesn’t seem to be asking for much, just a fight that actually makes sense. Magomed Ankalaev has already thrown his name into the mix, and Paulo Costa has made it clear he’s interested.
Now it’s up to the UFC to see if it can turn all that talk into an actual matchup. With the Brazilian’s contract situation hanging over everything, what happens next could go a long way toward deciding how this chapter of his UFC career ends.