The UFC’s first trip to Qatar was already shaping up to be historic. The Octagon will head to Doha in November, and the MMA sphere was looking forward to the return of fan-favorite Brazilian star Paulo Costa. But the fight game, as always, had other plans. Sharaputdin ‘Bullet’ Magomedov, the one-eyed knockout artist, was expected to face Costa at the event

Instead, he has now reportedly bowed out for nose surgery. That has left ‘The Eraser’ without a dance partner, but there’s already a rising Russian middleweight raring to get his shot at the Brazilian!

On social media, Azamat Bekoev wasted no time in making his intentions clear. He fired off a short but sharp message on X with, “Does Paulo Costa looking for an opponent?” The callout was as direct as it gets.

For those unfamiliar, Bekoev is no ordinary replacement. He debuted at UFC 311 in January 2025, finishing his opponent by first-round TKO. He followed that up with another brutal first-round stoppage against Ryan Loder in May. Now 2-0 inside the Octagon, he’s a fresh face with heavy hands and plenty of ambition.

Paulo Costa, meanwhile, is standing at a crossroads. Once a feared title challenger, his career hit turbulence with losses to Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker. For three long years, wins eluded him. Then, at UFC 318, he finally broke the drought with a gritty decision over Roman Kopylov. The Brazilian reminded fans why he was once considered one of the most dangerous men at 185 pounds.

Originally, the UFC had seemingly hoped Costa’s rebound would be tested against Magomedov in Qatar. The matchup had fireworks written all over it. Shara ‘Bullet’, despite his limitations outside the Middle East due to his eye condition, has built a cult following.

He had even added another win in July against Marc-Andre Barriault, although that bout left him with a damaged nose and an unavoidable surgery. Costa confirmed the collapse of the fight himself, posting on X, “UFC: Shara Bullet, [I] will probably not be able to fighting you.”

Now, it remains to be seen if the promotion decides to set up Paulo Costa against the dangerous Azamat Bekoev. However, that’s not the only challenge being thrown in the Brazilian’s direction!

Paulo Costa gets blasted by Jean Silva with a warning about “the streets”

Jean Silva has decided to add Paulo Costa to his list of enemies. The featherweight contender, who is unbeaten in the UFC, didn’t mince words when speaking to Full Send MMA recently.

He began by revisiting his old grudge with Bryce Mitchell, the opponent he tapped out at UFC 314, as he stated, “F–  Bryce Mitchell, we can explain that sometimes the energy just don’t match. That’s different people, different natures, different character, and that’s just how it is. It’s always been my whole life. If I don’t like you, I’ll just straight up say it to your face. I just don’t like you.”

It was a classic Silva outburst, raw, unfiltered, and laced with venom. But he didn’t stop there. Silva took aim at Costa, a fellow Brazilian who competes three divisions above him in weight. According to the ‘Fighting Nerds’ member, “Like ‘Borrachinha’ (Costa), I just don’t like him very much, but he’s huge, in a different weight class, so I’m never going to fight him. But in the streets, all bets are off. F— Paulo Costa”

As such, between a rising Russian prospect calling him out and a fellow Brazilian featherweight throwing shade, Paulo Costa suddenly finds himself in the middle of two very different battles. One could come under the bright lights of UFC Qatar, the other might never leave the realm of words and grudges. Either way, ‘The Eraser’ has no shortage of foes, and that guarantees the spotlight won’t leave him anytime soon!