Why Is Paulo Costa Still Waiting for His Final UFC Fight?

How many months should a fighter wait between wins before landing his next bout? For Paulo Costa, it’s still anybody’s guess. The 35-year-old defeated Azamat Murzakanov with a head kick in the third round at UFC 327 on April 11, marking his light heavyweight debut. Three months on, he’s stuck in limbo—unable to finalize what should be a simple final fight on his current UFC contract.

Nothing in Costa’s recent record explains the holdup. He’s won his last two fights, beating Roman Kopylov and Azamat Murzakanov, and turned the corner after dropping four of five bouts between 2020 and 2024. The momentum is undeniable. And he’s made it clear: he’ll fight at heavyweight, light heavyweight, or middleweight.

Since the April victory, Costa has been hunting for his next opponent. By June 29, his patience had run out. He posted on social media: “Since I defeated Azamat in April, I have been looking for the next fight. 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.'”

Hunter Campbell, the UFC official managing Costa’s case, hasn’t given him a date or even a realistic window. The instruction to wait rings hollow when you’re near the end of your contract. Costa earned a title shot on the back of five straight wins early in his UFC run, then lost to Israel Adesanya in a second-round stoppage at UFC 253 for the middleweight crown. A fighter in his mid-thirties who’s fighting well deserves answers, not silence.