Paulo Costa is not exactly thrilled with the UFC right now. And ‘The Eraser’ has been pretty vocal about how he feels like he got left out in the cold. Costa wanted a spot at UFC 332 and even threw his name into the hat for an interim light heavyweight title fight. Instead? The UFC went in a completely different direction, booking Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong for the vacant women’s flyweight title in the main event.

As expected, the Brazilian wasn’t exactly jumping with joy over the decision. The former middleweight title challenger clearly believes the UFC missed a chance to put on a much bigger fight for the fans, one he thinks he could have delivered and had been asking for since May.

“I’m sad because I think we could have given a much better fight card for the Salt Lake City fans,” Costa told Ariel Helwani. “I don’t think the fans are happy. I’m not happy. But, you know, it’s not about me.

“I asked to fight since May. So I’m look for a fight in May. I asked them to fight in June, July, August. But they told me to wait; I don’t know why. Maybe because the light heavyweight division is a little bit uncertain. Like, we didn’t have too many fighters available. The guys coming from losses and stuff.”

And just when Paulo Costa thought things couldn’t get more annoying, the UFC came knocking with a fight offer in Abu Dhabi, on five days’ notice.

“So I was waiting for a fight. I was asking for a fight. But they first come up with five days’ short notice to fight in Abu Dhabi,” Costa continued. “And I was gonna say, ‘Come on. I need a fight. Give me a decent date. Give me a schedule.’ But they didn’t give that.

“I asked to fight in Salt Lake City. I asked to fight everywhere. California. I asked to fight in UFC Noche. But for some reason UFC doesn’t want to put the interim light heavyweight belt in line.”

To Paulo Costa, that decision just doesn’t add up. The UFC light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg is still on the sidelines after tearing his ACL during his title-winning win over Jiri Prochazka, and ‘The Eraser’ isn’t convinced he’ll be back anytime soon.

In the Brazilian’s view, the recovery could drag on far longer than the UFC is expecting, which only makes the promotion’s current plans even harder for him to understand.

“I think this is a disaster. Carlos Ulberg will not be able to come back, in my opinion,” he added. “For what I… I’m an athlete. I have seen a lot of people having this kind of injury that he had. This is something that he’s gonna need at least 12 months to be clear to come back to training and stuff.

“I think he’s gonna fight… if he fights, just at the end of (2027). But we’re not sure if he’s gonna be able to fight in ’27, maybe ’28. So they need to put the interim belt in line, you know? I asked them. But for some reason the guys don’t want to put it right now.”

‘The Eraser’ doesn’t see much point in waiting around for Carlos Ulberg to return while the light heavyweight division just sits there in limbo. If the champion is going to be out for a while, the 35-year-old wants the UFC to bite the bullet, put an interim title on the line, and give everyone something real to fight for.

And it’s not like Paulo Costa is coming off a forgettable performance. At UFC 327 in April, he made a serious statement by becoming the first fighter to beat Azamat Murzakanov, stopping the previously unbeaten contender with a nasty head kick in the third round.

That kind of win gives the Brazilian plenty of reason to believe he should be in the mix, and he clearly doesn’t want to waste that momentum sitting on the sidelines.

As big as that win was, Costa didn’t get the $100,000 bonus he was reportedly hoping to pocket. And now, with just one fight left on his UFC contract, the Brazilian looks more and more like a man who’s ready to close the chapter.

Paulo Costa has been trying to escape his UFC contract for months

The frustration is clearly piling up. Between the booking situation, the lack of an interim title fight, and the bonus disappointment, Paulo Costa seems increasingly set on finishing his final UFC obligation and seeing what’s waiting for him on the other side.

The Brazilian’s beef with the UFC didn’t suddenly appear out of nowhere. Costa says he’s been trying to get out of his contract for months, with his latest push for a release coming right after the UFC announced the UFC 332 main event.

In fact, ‘The Eraser’ had already asked to leave back in January after the UFC offered him a short-notice fight against Reinier de Ridder. Since then, his manager and girlfriend, Tamara Alves, have reportedly stayed in regular contact with the promotion, with the two sides talking through Costa’s situation almost every week.

The problem? The UFC still isn’t ready to show him the door.

“We already asked to get released, but they refused,” he told Ariel Helwani. “They said, ‘No, you’re not getting released. You need to do one more, at least.’

“They said no. Actually, they didn’t say that for me. I am in the group with Hunter [Campbell] and Mick [Maynard], but they say no, we are not releasing you.”

However, despite the disagreement, Paulo Costa insists there is no personal animosity between him and the UFC.

“No, it’s not about relationship,” he continued. “I mean, we are professionals, you know? We just go, show up, fight. That’s it. I’m very professional; they are professional as well. It’s not about relationship, you know? It’s not about that.

“I’m an honest guy. I just tell what I think. I’m not taking emotions; I don’t like to take anything. Right. So, I think I’m just saying what I think about the things, you know? That’s it. It’s not about fight against them and stuff. They’re doing their business, and I’m doing mine.”

For Paulo Costa, it’s not about taking just any fight that gets tossed his way. He wants big names, meaningful matchups, and fights that actually get people talking. The Brazilian has made it pretty clear that he’d rather wait for the right opportunity than jump at whatever the UFC puts in front of him.

“I’m looking for big fights, you know?” he added. “I look for big names. I think the fans want to see a great fight, a big fight.

“I’m in this position right now to make big fights, and I want to bring these exciting fights to the fans. That’s my deal, my goal right now.”

With only one fight to go, Costa likely wants a big win over a marquee opponent that would help his negotiation leverage if he were to look for opportunities outside the UFC.

So while ‘The Eraser’ wants that big fight, the UFC seems to have a much simpler plan: ‘The Eraser’ still has one fight left on his deal, and they want him to see it through on their terms.

That leaves Paulo Costa approaching the final stretch of his UFC tenure with his position already made clear. He wants bigger fights, better opportunities, and a path that actually makes sense to him.

Unless ‘The Eraser’ and the UFC somehow manage to bury the hatchet, that next fight could be more than just another appearance on his record. It could be the final chapter of the Brazilian’s UFC story.