Paulo Costa was originally scheduled to return to the Octagon against rising middleweight Brunno Ferreira at UFC 326 before Costa pulled out of the fight just days after reports began circulating. At the time of writing, the reasoning behind Costa’s withdrawal remains a mystery.
Costa, who hasn’t fought since an impressive victory over Roman Kopylov at UFC 318, remains one of the most dangerous fighters in the middleweight division when he’s fully focused and invested. He bounced back from consecutive losses to former champions Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker.
Throughout the ups and downs of his UFC career, Costa has long had the option of moving up to light heavyweight. This came after some worrying performances on the scales, with Costa successfully reaching the middleweight limit in most of his previous fights.
Now Costa will move up to light heavyweight on the upcoming UFC 327 card in Miami for a potential title eliminator fight.
Paulo Costa is set to make a light heavyweight move at UFC 327
As first reported by Brazilian MMA journalist Laerte VianaCosta will face No. 6 UFC light heavyweight contender Azamat Murzakanov (16-0) at UFC 327 on April 11 in Miami.
Murzakanov is undefeated in his career with recent UFC wins over Aleksandar Rakic, Alonzo Menifield and Brendson Ribeiro. The 36-year-old was long considered a potential future champion of the light heavyweight division before a suspension from USADA halted his rise up the rankings.
Now Murzakanov will look to add another big name to his resume as he continues to make the case for a title shot. This is Costa’s second light heavyweight appearance in the UFC, after facing Marvin Vettori in October 2021.
As for Costa, a win over Murzakanov could potentially put him one step closer to another title shot in the UFC. The full UFC 327 lineup is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, including bookings for the main event and co-headliners.
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