Costa Moves to Light Heavyweight
Paulo Costa's move to light heavyweight is now official, with his coach stating Costa's goal is to "become champion in both divisions." The Brazilian's weight cut issues at middleweight prompted the strategic shift to 205 pounds.
- This is not Costa's first time competing at light heavyweight in the UFC; his October 2021 bout against Marvin Vettori was moved to 205 pounds after Costa arrived at fight week significantly overweight. Costa was fined 20% of his fight purse for the weight issue and lost the fight via unanimous decision. - Before his loss to Vettori and a title fight defeat, Costa was on an undefeated 13-fight winning streak, with five straight victories in the UFC. This included a "Fight of the Night" performance against Yoel Romero at UFC 241. - His title shot for the UFC Middleweight Championship was against Israel Adesanya at UFC 253, where he suffered his first professional loss via a second-round technical knockout. - The light heavyweight division is currently reigned by champion Magomed Ankalaev. The division also features recent two-division champion Alex Pereira, who captured the light heavyweight title in November 2023. - Becoming a champion in two divisions is a rare accomplishment in the UFC, achieved by only a handful of fighters including Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Henry Cejudo. - Costa's first scheduled fight in his official move to the light heavyweight division is against Azamat Murzakanov on April 11, 2026, at UFC 327. - At middleweight, Costa was known for his high-volume striking, landing the second-most significant strikes per minute in the division's history at 6.21. - In his most recent middleweight bouts, Costa lost decisions to former champions Robert Whittaker and Sean Strickland.
