Paulo Costa accuses UFC of stalling his final contracted fight three months on

Paulo Costa has publicly called out the UFC for failing to book him three months after his successful light heavyweight debut, revealing that executive Hunter Campbell has given him no answer beyond ‘wait’ each time he has pushed for a fight date.

Costa, 35, made an immediate impression at UFC 327 on 11 April, stopping the previously undefeated Azamat Murzakanov with a head kick in the third round. The Brazilian expected the victory to open doors quickly, but he remains without a scheduled opponent heading into July.

“Since I defeated Azamat in April, I have been looking for the next fight,” Costa wrote on X. “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.’” He added plainly: “I want to fight. I don’t want to wait.”

The frustration carries added weight because the bout in question would be the final fight on Costa’s current UFC contract, making the delay a potential sticking point for any future negotiations. Costa has indicated he is willing to compete across three weight classes — middleweight, light heavyweight, or heavyweight — to get the fight made, yet no match-up has materialised.

The public plea comes after a significant career resurgence. Costa endured a difficult run between 2020 and 2024, losing four of five Octagon appearances, but back-to-back wins over Roman Kopylov and Murzakanov have restored his standing in the promotion. Earlier in his UFC tenure he had been on a five-fight winning streak that earned him a middleweight title shot against Israel Adesanya at UFC 253, where he was stopped in the second round.

With momentum on his side and a contract situation that gives both parties reason to move quickly, Costa’s public pressure campaign appears designed to force the UFC’s hand before the summer stretches further into inactivity.