Paulo Costa Lays Down Cover Fire for Alex Pereira
Alex Pereira has found an unusual supporter in 'Borrachinha' amid the recent wave of hate targeting the double champ.
The heavyweight bout between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane earlier this year didn't even last two rounds before 'Poatan's triple-champion dreams went up in smoke. Since that humiliating TKO loss, Pereira has received immense backlash. However, Paulo Costa finds that quite ridiculous.
Paulo Costa Backs Former Light Heavyweight Champion Amid Hatred Campaign
The finish came at the 1:27 mark of the second round by ground-and-pound after a knockdown. However, Gane also significantly dominated the rest of the fight, landing 54 significant strikes of 86 attempted. Sharing a particular clip from that encounter, one online user cast doubt on Poatan's entire UFC career.
The video showed Gane landing a heavy cross before blasting two more punches. While Pereira defended the last two strikes, he was successfully backed against the cage.
"How tf was this dude EVER a two division kickboxing world champion dawg 😭😭😭," the user threw shade.
Paulo Costa, however, cannot seem to wrap his head around this sudden hate campaign. Pushing back against what he believes to be internet drama, 'Borrachinha' added a quote:
"Why are so many people badmouthing him out there? I don't quite get it; I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to the combat sports bubble..."
Why are so many people badmouthing him out there? I don't quite get it; I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to the combat sports bubble...
— Paulo Costa (@BorrachinhaMMA) October 7, 2026
While it's true that Alex Pereira couldn't quite get to what he initially intended, one must exercise some caution here. Picking up victories over Magomed Ankalaev, Israel Adesanya, and Sean Strickland, Pereira had conquered both middleweight and light heavyweight divisions before his latest move.
That's where it gets tricky. Moving up a weight class is more than simply different opponents. From the hassle of putting on pounds to actually maneuvering the disparity in reach, the entire fight equation changes. In fact, Daniel Cormier believes even the pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev has hit the ceiling at welterweight.
Paulo Costa Has Called His Shots At Alex Pereira
Paulo Costa doesn't just respect Alex Pereira as a UFC peer, but also as a competitor. Sure enough, the light heavyweight veteran named 'Poatan' as someone he'd like to close his UFC chapter with. The No. 6 light heavyweight proposed a three-round fight with the Brazilian phenom on six weeks' notice if his expected matchup with Sergei Pavlovich fell through. Taking to X, he wrote:
“If Alex (doesn’t) want to fight Sergei Pavlovich, put me in. 3 (rounds). 6 weeks,”
However, as it turns out, Alex Pereira vs. Sergei Pavlovich has been booked for UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Co-headlining the event with the Russian fighter, the bout will take place in the heavyweight division and will have five rounds. Poatan will surely look to cement his place among the heavyweight elites with this clash.
