Ex-UFC champ Jiri Prochazka reveals Paulo Costa has been offered to fight him, "The Eraser" responds

Jiri Prochazka and Paulo Costa have been linked to a potential fight for quite some time. "BJP," aka "The Czech Samurai," has now claimed that the UFC has offered Costa a fight against him, which could take place in October or November. 

Costa soon responded to Prochazka's claim by mocking him and seemingly proclaiming himself as the top star in the UFC light heavyweight division. 

Jiri Prochazka vs. Paulo Costa -- an oft-discussed UFC showdown that's piqued MMA fans' interest in 2026

Reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg has been on an injury break after having hurt his knee mid-fight against Jiri Prochazka in the headlining match of UFC 327 in April. Ulberg still managed to pull off a stunning KO of Prochazka and capture the vacant UFC light heavyweight belt. 

Meanwhile, Prochazka, who himself is a former UFC light heavyweight kingpin and has long been beheld as an elite fighter in the 205-pound division, has been working toward making a triumphant comeback. 

Incidentally, former UFC middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa recently moved up to the light heavyweight division for good. The Brazilian notched his first victory at 205 pounds by knocking out the previously undefeated Azamat Murzakanov on the same card, UFC 327. 

"The Eraser" was since rumored to be fighting Prochazka, possibly for the interim UFC light heavyweight title, at UFC 330 on August 15. Nevertheless, the consensus is that the Prochazka-Costa matchup surely wouldn't materialize at that event, given that it's nearly here and the UFC hasn't announced the matchup yet. 

Jiri Prochazka claims Paulo Costa has been offered a fight against him; the UFC light heavyweight newcomer hits back by mocking "The Czech Samurai"

Jiri Prochazka recently put forth a video to social media, wherein he addressed the long-running debates and discussions about his possible clash against Paulo Costa. 

It's noteworthy that Costa, on his part, has lately been quite critical of the UFC light heavyweight division and the UFC. Also, his imminent UFC fight, against whosoever it is, would mark the final one of his current deal with the organization. 

Well, Prochazka took aim at Costa, alluding to the latter's recent jibes at him and other light heavyweight contenders. The Czech combatant stated: 

"Hello, all the UFC fans. This is just a quick message for Paulo Costa. Don't tag me. Don't mention me in your post. Because you have a offer from UFC to fight me October or November."

Prochazka added, "And, if you don't want to fight me, don't mention me. Don't speak about me. Yeah. This is it. Or, I'm waiting for the contract for this fight." 

Not one to be outdone, Costa fired back by making an allusion to the unorthodox training methods that Prochazka is known to adopt. Commencing his post with a 'Face with Tears of Joy' emoji, Costa appeared to mock the 33-year-old and wrote:

"EVERYONE wants to fight me because I'm THE GUY in this boring division. But the TRUTH is : so far, nobody has mentioned your name to me. So go back to doing that weird thing of yours--whatever the hell it is you're doing, man." 

😂EVERYONE wants to fight me because I’m THE GUY in this boring division. But the TRUTH is : so far, nobody has mentioned your name to me. So go back to doing that weird thing of yours—whatever the hell it is you’re doing, man. https://t.co/kT7U6a0h8c

— Paulo Costa (@BorrachinhaMMA) August 1, 2026

Presently, Jiri Prochazka is ranked No. 3 in the UFC light heavyweight division on the official Meta UFC rankings, whereas Costa stands at No. 4. 

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev recently returned to the win column by TKO'ing Bogdan Guskov in a controversial fight. Ankalaev's supposedly underwhelming performance led many to suggest that another top 205-pounder, perhaps Costa, deserves to fight Carlos Ulberg for the title more than Ankalaev does.