Paulo Costa Takes Aim at UFC and Carlos Ulberg As Light Heavyweight Division Hits Another Roadblock
Paulo Costa has never exactly been a company man for the UFC, with his blunt and outspoken nature regularly putting him at odds with the promotion.
With the UFC now dealing with another injured champion in Valentina Shevchenko, “The Eraser” appears to see an opportunity to make his case once again.
“I WILL COME TO SAVE THE LHW DIVISION” - Paulo Costa Calls for Interim LHW Belt
Costa was among those left scratching their heads after Shevchenko vacated the UFC Women’s Flyweight title due to injury. While the promotion went forward with a new title fight at UFC 332, Costa believes the same standard should apply to the light heavyweight division, where Carlos Ulberg remains sidelined with a serious injury.
Interestingly, the Brazilian isn't simply asking the UFC to keep the division moving. Instead, he believes he should be part of the solution.
Simply put, the 35-year-old’s frustration stems from what he sees as an obvious inconsistency. Shevchenko's injury forced her to give up the women's flyweight title, with Natalia Silva and Wang Cong now set to fight for the vacant championship.
But Ulberg, who has been sidelined since tearing his ACL during his title-winning victory over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 327, remains champion despite his lengthy absence. For Costa, that difference in treatment makes no sense.
In light of the recent UFC 332 development, he took to social media and suggested that the UFC should put an interim light heavyweight title on the line while Ulberg recovers. In fact, he even floated the idea, suggesting that he’d volunteer himself for the fight and framed it as his chance to rescue a division that had been left waiting.
He wrote, “UFC stripped Valentina out From her Belt due injury. Also Carlos ulberg is injured and MAYBE fight second semester 2027. Put the LHW interim belt in line and I WILL COME TO SAVE THE LHW DIVISION! UFC REFUSED TO PUT LWH INTERIM BELT IN LINE. Why? I dont know.”
Paulo Costa Suggests He Won't be in UFC Much Longer
If anything, Costa (16-4-0) has made it clear that his UFC future is becoming a short-term proposition. He previously indicated that he has only one fight remaining on his current contract and isn't interested in taking a five-round fight without a title attached.
That, in hindsight, makes an interim championship fight particularly appealing for Costa and arguably for some fans.
Costa Takes Aim at Pereira and Ulberg Situation
Costa wasn’t particularly done. His later comments came after Cris Cyborg questioned the UFC's handling of injured champions, citing the difference between Shevchenko's situation and Kayla Harrison's lengthy absence. Reflecting on the same, he wrote, “YEAH ITS REALLY inconvenient; the UFC doesn’t have a consistent standard of behavior or set of rules - they use double standards all the time,” clearly seconding the MMA legend’s statement.
He then turned his attention toward another ranking issue involving former two-division champion Alex Pereira.
Pereira recently moved up to heavyweight but lost his debut bout to Ciryl Gane. Despite that, Costa questioned why “Poatan” remains ranked at light heavyweight while also sitting at No. 4 in the heavyweight rankings despite not having a win at 265 pounds.
Paulo Costa Pondering "Poatan's" Ranking at 205, 265
He asked, “Another thing is, why on earth is Alex still ranked at Light Heavyweight after fighting and losing at Heavyweight? And why is he ranked 4th at Heavyweight without a single win there - ahead of Josh (Hokit)?”
From his standpoint, the light heavyweight division already has a champion who could be out for an extended period, while several contenders await their next meaningful opportunity. And Costa wants the UFC to act.
With Ulberg's return still uncertain and Costa's UFC contract seemingly nearing its end, the window for that scenario may be closing quickly.
