Paulo Costa

The Eraser

Brazil

Returning against Murzakanov
MiddleweightUFC
January 13, 2026
Costa will fight Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327 on April 11, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Costa withdrew from his scheduled fight against Brunno Ferreira at UFC 326 but is now slated to return in April. Costa broke a two-fight losing streak with a win over Roman Kopylov in July, but stringing together back-to-back wins will likely be difficult, as Murzakanov boasts a perfect 16-0 record in professional MMA.
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Withdraws from UFC 326
MiddleweightUFC
December 26, 2025
Costa has withdrawn from his scheduled fight with Brunno Ferreira at UFC 326 on March 7, according to Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighting.com.
ANALYSIS
For Costa to withdraw from a fight more than two months down the line suggests that the reasoning for his bout withdrawal, reason undisclosed, may be a significant one that costs him time. Costa, a former challenger for the UFC Middleweight Championship, won his last fight, via unanimous decision over Roman Kopylov in July.
Booked against Ferreira
MiddleweightUFC
December 20, 2025
Costa will fight Brunno Ferreira at UFC 326 on March 7, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Costa emerged victorious over Roman Kopylov in July, marking the former's first UFC victory in nearly three full years. The 34-year-old middleweight will now attempt to make it two in a row by taking down Ferreira, who is three inches shorter than Costa but won all three of his fights in 2025.
First win since August 2022
MiddleweightUFC
July 19, 2025
Costa defeated Roman Kopylov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) at UFC 318 on Saturday in New Orleans.
ANALYSIS
Costa won each of his first five UFC fights, including four via knockout. Then the competition level jumped considerably, and he struggled mightily, losing four of five since. He got back in the Octagon here for the first time in over 13 months and put forth his best performance in quite some time. He was aggressive, and his boxing looked crisp. He threw a ton of kicks to both the legs and body and had Kopylov biting on every fake he threw. The fight-ending power Costa displayed early in his run with the company appears to be gone, and that is going to limit his ceiling considerably at age 34, but the guy we saw tonight has plenty of gas left in the tank and is more than capable of winning his fair share of fights moving forward.
Moved to UFC 318
MiddleweightUFC
June 17, 2025
Costa's scheduled middleweight matchup against Roman Kopylov has been moved to UFC 318 on July 19, Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The fight was originally scheduled for UFC 317 on June 28, and while reports Tuesday morning suggested it had been canceled, it is instead simply being pushed back. Costa, who has lost four of his last five fights, had been listed as roughly a (+210) betting underdog for the original fight.
Scheduled to face Kopylov
MiddleweightUFC
May 13, 2025
Costa will face Roman Kopylov at UFC 317 on June 28 in a middleweight bout, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Costa has been sidelined since mid-2024 due to an ankle/foot injury, but he's ready to return to the octagon and will do so against an opponent who has won six of his last seven fights. On the other hand, Costa has lost his past two bouts, against Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker.