Paulo Costa Eyes Double Championship
Paulo Costa is planning a move to light heavyweight with the ambitious goal of becoming champion in both middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. This rare double-title aspiration could significantly shake up both divisions if successful. Meanwhile, Kamaru Usman announced bold 2026 goals to win welterweight and middleweight titles before retiring as a double champion.
- Achieving championship status in two different weight classes is a rare feat in the UFC, accomplished by only a handful of fighters, including Randy Couture, Conor McGregor, and Georges St-Pierre. Alex Pereira is the only fighter in UFC history to have been champion in both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. - The current UFC middleweight champion is Khamzat Chimaev, who has a previous victory over Kamaru Usman. The light heavyweight title is held by Alex Pereira, who reclaimed the belt from Magomed Ankalaev. - Paulo Costa has had one previous fight at light heavyweight in October 2021 against Marvin Vettori. The fight was originally scheduled as a middleweight bout but was moved up after Costa had issues with his weight cut. - Costa's last attempt at the middleweight title was in September 2020 at UFC 253, where he was defeated by then-champion Israel Adesanya. - Kamaru Usman, the former welterweight champion, has already competed at middleweight. He stepped in on short notice to fight Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 in October 2023, losing by majority decision. - Usman has won one fight since losing his welterweight title and his middleweight debut. His plan for 2026 is to first recapture the welterweight championship before moving up to challenge for the middleweight title. - Historically, only four fighters have held two UFC belts simultaneously: Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Henry Cejudo. - Usman holds the record for the longest winning streak in the history of the UFC's welterweight division with 15 consecutive victories.
