Paulo Costa is desperate for the UFC to take action as his promotional contract nears its expiration. After the Brazilian beat Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327 in Miami, Costa has only one fight left on his current deal. However, the UFC has yet to give him any clarity on when that final fight will take place.

Frustrated, the former middleweight title challenger issued a final ultimatum to UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell, who handles most of the contract negotiations with fighters, regarding his next fight under the UFC banner.

“I have 1 fight left,” Costa posted on X. “On my contract, the purse is set for 3 rounds, not 5. I’m asking for the 3-round fight that was already agreed on the contract. It can be anyone on the UFC LHW roster. I think Hunter has 3 options now.  

“(A) Give me that last 3-round fight (I’ll take any opponent). (B) Give me a 5-round fight at LHW against anyone in 6 weeks. I’ll take it, BUT raise my purse accordingly. That’s the minimum that’s fair, right? C) Release me from my contract now.  Simple and clean. I hope everyone understands.”  

Costa made it clear that he’s open to fighting anyone, provided they meet his requirements. Whether Hunter Campbell will meet them, however, is a completely different story. Previously, Costa told Ariel Helwani in July that he had already informed the UFC he wants out of his current contract as soon as possible.  

However, the Brazilian also disclosed that the company expects him to sign a lengthy 6- or 8-fight deal to leverage his star power. That is why he believes the UFC is delaying the final fight of his existing contract. Even so, Paulo Costa took a very different approach when negotiations over the final fight of his contract began. 

At first, he wanted to fight for the 205-pound interim belt in his last bout, seemingly to secure a shot at champion Carlos Ulberg, who is out of action after tearing his ACL at UFC 327 main event. Still, the UFC complicated his situation further by offering him a short-notice fight against Magomed Ankalaev in Abu Dhabi, which he declined.  

“It’s so short notice, less than 14 days to get a flight to Abu Dhabi,” Costa told Ariel Helwani. “16-hour flight to Abu Dhabi, five rounds, for the same money, and not for an interim belt, I don’t think that makes sense right now.”

While Paulo Costa has spoken openly about his situation regarding his final UFC fight, Hunter Campbell and the rest of the UFC brass have yet to respond. However, this isn’t the first time ‘Borrachinha’ has been entangled in a contractual dispute.

Paulo Costa previously didn’t want to sign a long-term contract with the UFC

When it comes to contracts, Paulo Costa has never been keen on signing on the dotted line for a lengthy term. The Brazilian found himself in a similar situation when he had only one fight left on his deal after beating Luke Rockhold at UFC 278. Back then as well, Costa revealed that the UFC approached him with a six-fight deal shortly before his fizzled-out matchup with Robert Whittaker in February 2023.

As usual, Costa was unhappy with the numbers the promotion put in front of him, and he ended up pushing back against the UFC.

“They said, Dana White’s lawyer, [UFC CBO] Hunter Campbell, said, ‘We need to make a new six-fight deal.’ I said, ‘No, I’m not going to talk about six fights more,” Costa told Ariel Helwani in December 2022. “I talk about that one.’ That makes sense,” Costa said. “Why you bring six fights in? I’m talking about that one, to fight Whittaker, not six more. It doesn’t make sense to me. 

“I’m not looking for six more fights, not at the numbers that he sent me. I don’t think this makes sense. I’m talking about one fight specifically, not six. I did this in the past, five years ago, 2017, and I’m paying for this mistake even now, because I’m so [outdated].” 

Following Costa’s tussle with the UFC, the promotion renewed his contract in March 2023.  Reportedly, the deal covered 4 fights at $1 million each, making him one of the highest-paid Brazilian fighters at the time. However, the UFC doesn’t always bring fighters back after a heated dispute. Francis Ngannou and Demetrious Johnson are prime examples of stars who left the promotion over contract disagreements.

That said, it will be interesting to see whether the UFC and Paulo Costa can find middle ground, or whether the Brazilian will seek a new platform once his contract expires.