Who will Paulo Costa 🇧🇷 fight next?
Not confirmed as of 1 Oct 2026: no opponent or date has been officially announced.
Most likely Khalil Rountree Jr. (18%), no event announced yet. Next: Magomed Ankalaev (10%), Jamahal Hill (6%).
Latest status: Last fight: Beat Azamat Murzakanov (KO/TKO, UFC 327, 11 Apr 2026). No fight announced.
Updated (UAE time) · Percentages are NextSmash model estimates, not facts or betting advice.
Forecast: likely opponents Model estimate
Each percentage is the estimated chance of being his next opponent. These are not chances of winning.
- 18%chance next opponentModel pick: Ranked #6 and #4, neither has a fight booked. Khalil Rountree Jr. lost last time out, against Jiří Procházka (4 Oct 2025).
- 10%chance next opponentAnkalaev floated Costa for an interim belt. Costa is coming off a KO of Murzakanov. Not booked.
- 6%chance next opponentModel pick: Ranked #6 and #7, neither has a fight booked. Jamahal Hill lost last time out, against Khalil Rountree Jr. (21 Jun 2025).
Field / other: 66%. This covers everyone not listed above.
- Likely event
- Nothing announced.
- Last fight
- Win vs Azamat Murzakanov · KO/TKO R3 1:23 · UFC 327 · 11 Apr 2026
- Career stage
- 2 straight wins.
- Confidence
- Low (High = officially booked · Medium = reported or a fighter's own claim · Low = model only)
- Last updated
- (UAE time)
What changed?
- Bloody Elbow: Ulberg plans early-2027 return, calls Ankalaev a top contender · source
Only dated items with a source are listed: news reports used for the estimate, plus changes to our logged estimates.
Fight history Pro record 16-4-0
| Result | Opponent | Method | Rd | Time | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | Azamat Murzakanov 🇷🇺 | TKO (head kick) · R3, 1:23 | 3 | 1:23 | UFC 327 | |
| W | Roman Kopylov | Decision (unanimous) · R3, 5:00 | 3 | 5:00 | UFC 318 | |
| L | Sean Strickland 🇺🇸 | Decision (split) · R5, 5:00 | 5 | 5:00 | UFC 302 | |
| L | Robert Whittaker 🇦🇺 | Decision (unanimous) · R3, 5:00 | 3 | 5:00 | UFC 298 | |
| W | Luke Rockhold | Decision (unanimous) · R3, 5:00 | 3 | 5:00 | UFC 278 | |
| L | Marvin Vettori | Decision (unanimous) · R5, 5:00 | 5 | 5:00 | UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori | |
| L | Israel Adesanya 🇳🇬 | TKO (punches and elbows) · R2, 3:59 | 2 | 3:59 | UFC 253 | |
| W | Yoel Romero | Decision (unanimous) · R3, 5:00 | 3 | 5:00 | UFC 241 | |
| W | Uriah Hall | TKO (punches) · R2, 2:38 | 2 | 2:38 | UFC 226 | |
| W | Johny Hendricks | TKO (punches) · R2, 1:23 | 2 | 1:23 | UFC 217 | |
| W | Oluwale Bamgbose | TKO (punches) · R2, 1:06 | 2 | 1:06 | UFC 212 | |
| W | Garreth McLellan | TKO (punches) · R1, 1:17 | 1 | 1:17 | UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum | |
| W | Adriano Balby de Araujo | KO (punch) · R1, 3:25 | 1 | 3:25 | Jungle Fight 90 | |
| W | Eduardo Ramón | Submission (rear-naked choke) · R1, 2:40 | 1 | 2:40 | Jungle Fight 87 | |
| W | Bruno Assis | TKO (punches) · R1, 1:17 | 1 | 1:17 | Jungle Fight 84 | |
| W | Wagner Silva Gomes | TKO (punches) · R1, 4:37 | 1 | 4:37 | Face to Face 11 | |
| W | Gérson da Conceição | TKO (doctor stoppage) · R1, 5:00 | 1 | 5:00 | Face to Face 9 | |
| W | Fábio Moreira | TKO (punches) · R1, 1:26 | 1 | 1:26 | BH Fight: MMA Grand Prix | |
| W | Ademilson Borges | TKO (head kick and punches) · R1, 0:32 | 1 | 0:32 | Upper Fight: MMA Championship 2 | |
| W | Téo Esteves | TKO (head kick and punches) · R1, 2:08 | 1 | 2:08 | MMA Total Combat: Santa Luzia |
Professional MMA bouts only, newest first. Source: Wikipedia (checked 2 Oct 2026).
Paulo Costa: frequently asked questions
When is Paulo Costa's next fight?
No fight is officially booked as of 1 Oct 2026.
Who did Paulo Costa fight last?
Paulo Costa beat Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327 on 11 Apr 2026 (KO/TKO R3 1:23).
Who is Paulo Costa likely to fight next?
NextSmash model estimate: Khalil Rountree Jr. (18%), Magomed Ankalaev (10%), Jamahal Hill (6%). Updated 1 Oct 2026. These are estimates, not facts or betting advice.
What is Paulo Costa's record?
16-4-0 (wins-losses-draws) in professional MMA, as listed on UFC.com (checked 1 Oct 2026).
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Other light heavyweight fighters
- Navajo Stirling #5 · next: Jiří Procházka 92%
- Jamahal Hill #7 · next: Khalil Rountree Jr. 13%
- Khalil Rountree Jr. #4 · next: Paulo Costa 18%
- Azamat Murzakanov #8 · next: Dominick Reyes 92%
- Alex Pereira #3 · next: Sergei Pavlovich 35%
More: Light Heavyweight rankings and next fights · Brazil UFC fighters
Sources
- UFC.com athlete profile (record, rank, last fight) · 1 Oct 2026
- UFC.com rankings (Media + Meta), checked 1 Oct 2026 · 1 Oct 2026
- ESPN fighter profile (country, fight history) · 1 Oct 2026
- Bloody Elbow: Ulberg plans early-2027 return, calls Ankalaev a top contender · 26 Jul 2026
Percentages are NextSmash model estimates from the factors shown above (see methodology). They are not facts, and not betting advice. Records and ranks come from UFC.com; country from ESPN. Checked 1 Oct 2026.