Former UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa is not unknown to criticism. And the reason for most of them has been the same. Brazilian fighter, Brunno Ferreira, was scheduled to fight ‘Borrachinha’ at UFC 326 on January 31. However, the fight plans fell through because his opponent reportedly pulled out of it: in a foreseeable turn of events. And understandably, he’s not happy.

As a result, Ferreira did not hold back while addressing Paulo Costa‘s move during an interview. The 33-year-old was gutted to miss out on the opportunity to open his 2026 account, but ensured that Costa understood how he felt.

Brunno Ferreira is not impressed with Paulo Costa’s conduct

Currently, there is no word on what caused Paulo Costa to withdraw from his UFC 326 fight. Brunno Ferreira, after discussing the terms of the fight with Dana White and Co., was certain that the fight was locked in. However, when the news came out about the cancellation, it caught ‘The Hulk,’ in his own words, “by surprise.” He clearly wasn’t expecting Costa to back out.

Brunno Ferreira also confirmed that the fight was only finalized after he and Paulo Costa had matched each other’s terms during the negotiation process. He revealed that he found out about the pullout when ‘Borrachinha’s name surfaced online in connection to the pullout, and later, the UFC informed him about the unfortunate news. ‘The Hulk’ proceeded to call out Costa for his blatant unprofessionalism and disrespect toward his opponent.

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“It wasn’t that we asked for it. It wasn’t something I was looking for… Everything was fine, everything agreed upon. From our side, everything was 100 percent, too,” Brunno Ferreira stated during an interview on UFC fighter Valter Walker’s YouTube channel. “And then we see Paulo being Paulo, [which] is nothing more than ‘Borrachinha’ being a wimp in the way he was, right?… Completely unsportsmanlike, unethical, and above all, disrespectful to another athlete.”

A name like Paulo Costa pulling out of a numbered event is a pretty huge setback for Dana White and Co. However, the UFC CEO may not need to scramble to find a replacement. That’s because Brunno Ferreira already has a replacement opponent in mind.

Brunno Ferreira suggests a replacement opponent

Brunno Ferreira has no plans of squandering the UFC 326 opportunity. If it’s not a ranked opponent in Paulo Costa, then he’s willing to take on another ranked contender. The fighter he wants is Roman Dolidze, who’s ranked #12, one spot above Costa. In a video he posted on Instagram, Ferreira called for the Georgian fighter to answer his call, hoping that he wouldn’t do the same thing Costa did.

“Unfortunately, the weak rubber [‘Borrachinha’ means ‘little rubber’] was forced out of the fight. But that’s nothing new about him being a soft ass,” wrote Brunno Ferreira. “With all due respect, Roman Dolidze, I have nothing against you, but let’s give a beating show to the fans at UFC 326 because I know you’re not a soft ass like ‘Borrachinha.'”

Well, the UFC Stats page still shows that the Paulo Costa and Brunno Ferreira fight is on. But with the news of the pullout, it’ll be interesting to see how Dana White navigates this situation with less than a month to go for the event. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.