Paulo Costa has been struck by heartbreaking news — the loss of his beloved uncle, Regi Costa. While the Brazilian star didn’t release a lengthy statement, he did express that this is a monumental loss for his family, and especially for him personally, as Regi was a guiding figure in his life. Known for his humor both inside and outside the Octagon, Costa didn’t let grief dull his unique spirit. In true ‘Borrachinha’ fashion, he bid farewell to his uncle with a touch of his signature comedic charm, turning sorrow into a heartfelt, yet lighthearted goodbye.

The heartbreaking news was revealed by Paulo Costa on his X handle, where he posted a chic photo of his late uncle with a caption that read, “Rest in peace dear uncle Regi Costa 1953-2025 💙🤍🩵 he was pure Aura . I learned many lessons from him, he taught me how to treat women, he never ran away from a fight and he knew how to appreciate wine like no one else.”  Costa is a man who is rarely saddened by anything, even a career loss. He faces every battle head-on, but this was different. The passing of a family member—someone he truly loved—breaks even the toughest of individuals.

However, despite his sorrow, Paulo Costa maintained his comedic character in order to pay a proper send-off to his uncle, who was a fun-loving comedic individual. He uploaded the same photo on his Instagram handle to pay his respect. Not only that, but he uploaded a meme appreciating the old classic movies, and in one of the photos, he added his uncle’s photo and captioned it as: ‘Marvel and DC movies are for g– people. Old movies, for sure.

Prior to the tragedy, Paulo Costa had suddenly entered into the UFC 317 conversation as he stated that he is ready to fight Khamzat Chimaev; however, he already has a fight lined up for the International Fight Week, “Peoples sending me Dricus vs. Chimaev cancellations, f—- them both. I have signed a fight for IFW already. BTW Chechen is g– everyone knows he is scared of me but i will be there anyway. if UFC wants this fight to finally happen, Im 100% in.”

Despite his sorrowful period, Paulo Costa is expected to train in his camp as if his words are true, meaning he has only about a month to prepare for his showdown. Given this, fans have poured in love and support for Costa after he shared the incident involving his uncle.

MMA community reacts as Paulo Costa shares the news of his uncle’s passing

A social media user expressed sympathy for Paulo Costa in light of the sorrowful news. The fan wants to pay his respects to Costa’s uncle in his own way, Damn I’m sorry, man. I’ll have a glass of red tonight for Uncle Regi.” Moreover, ONE Championship heavyweight champion Reug Reug also paid his respects to Costa’s uncle by adding heart emojis on Paulo Costa’s Instagram post.

Another social media user sympathized with Paulo Costa as he wrote, “Sorry for ur loss Paulo 🙁 sucks losing a loved one.” More fans come forward to pay respects to Costa’s uncle, “RIP 🙏 Condolences to your family Paulo.”

However, some of the fans were caught off guard. Why, you ask? Well, it’s due to the fact that there was an uncanny resemblance between his uncle and William “Smokey” Robinson Jr. A fan added, “Thought it was Smokey Robinson. Rip.” A fan was even the fan of how cool Costa’s uncle looked in his photos, “You Unc looked like a cool mf, RIP.”

Paulo Costa may have lost someone who was incredibly important to him, but he seems ready to take life on as it comes, inside and outside the cage. Given that, what are your thoughts on the news? State your opinion in the comments below.