Paulo Costa

Costa's light-heavyweight move paid off in Miami, where he repeatedly punished Murzakanov with body kicks before ending the fight with a head kick in round three. The finish mattered because it snapped Murzakanov's unbeaten run and gave Costa an immediate ranked win at 205.

Key moments

• Stopped Azamat Murzakanov by head-kick TKO at 1:23 of round three.
• Body kicks were a consistent weapon for Costa across the fight before the finish landed upstairs.
• The win handed Murzakanov the first loss of his professional MMA career.

Costa ended his skid by controlling Kopylov over three rounds in New Orleans, mixing heavy body work with a more measured pace than his earlier brawls. The performance was important less for drama than for stability, because he looked composed and won clean minutes start to finish.

Key moments

• Beat Roman Kopylov by unanimous decision over three rounds at UFC 318.
• Reports from the card emphasized Costa's body attacks and steadier pace as the difference.
• The win ended a two-fight losing streak and moved his record to 15-4 at the time.

Costa stayed competitive over five rounds but never imposed the kind of damaging offense needed to take Strickland's jab-and-pressure game away, and he dropped a split decision in Newark. The fight was low on fireworks, yet it showed Costa could still carry his pace over 25 minutes against a top contender.

Key moments

• Lost a split decision to Sean Strickland after five full rounds.
• The official scorecards were 46-49, 50-45 and 49-46.
• It was Costa's first non-title five-round fight since the 2021 Vettori matchup.

Costa had Whittaker in real trouble late in the opening round with a head kick, but Whittaker recovered and outworked him the rest of the way to take the decision. It was one of Costa's better recent performances in defeat because the danger stayed live even after Whittaker took control back.

Key moments

• Dropped a unanimous decision to Robert Whittaker over three rounds.
• Nearly finished Whittaker at the end of round one with a head kick.
• Whittaker's comeback win reinserted him into the middleweight title picture.

Costa beat Rockhold on the scorecards in one of the division's stranger high-level fights, overwhelming stretches of the action before surviving Rockhold's chaotic late push. The bout became memorable for its exhaustion and messiness as much as the result, and it ended with Rockhold retiring in the cage.

Key moments

• Defeated Luke Rockhold by unanimous decision with three 30-27 cards.
• The fight earned Fight of the Night honors.
• Rockhold retired immediately after the bout.

Costa lost a chaotic five-round headliner to Vettori after the bout shifted from middleweight to a last-minute light-heavyweight main event. He had success with kicks and late pressure, but Vettori's steadier volume and forward march won the cards.

Key moments

• The originally scheduled middleweight fight was changed first to a catchweight and then to light heavyweight during fight week.
• Costa attacked with inside leg kicks and power shots whenever he had space to set his feet.
• Vettori kept forcing exchanges over all five rounds and banked the decision with consistency.
• All three official scorecards read 48-46 for Vettori.

Adesanya dismantled Costa in the middleweight title fight by punishing him at range and making him chase counters that were never there. Costa never established his usual pressure, and the champion closed the show late in the second round.

Key moments

• The bout was contested for the UFC middleweight championship.
• Adesanya repeatedly scored while keeping Costa at kicking and counter range.
• The finish came at 3:59 of round two with punches and elbows.
• It was the first loss of Costa's professional MMA career.

Costa won one of the wildest middleweight fights of the era by matching Romero's power with even more body work and sustained aggression. Both men landed fight-changing shots, but Costa's pressure and volume were enough to earn a unanimous decision.

Key moments

• Romero dropped Costa in the first round, and Costa answered by driving him backward with body attacks.
• Costa kept ripping punches and kicks to the body whenever Romero paused on the fence.
• The fight went all 15 minutes at a furious pace and later earned Fight of the Night recognition.
• All three judges scored it 29-28 for Costa.

Hall gave Costa real problems with the jab early, but once Costa's pressure stuck he overwhelmed him with body work and inside punches. The finish came after Hall briefly dropped him, which only turned the exchange into a sprint to the stoppage.

Key moments

• Hall bloodied Costa's mouth with repeated jabs in the opening round.
• Costa hurt Hall with body shots and kept forcing him backward to the fence.
• A Hall left hand dropped Costa to a knee in round two, but Costa popped straight back up and resumed pressure.
• The finishing burst ended with a left hook and uppercut at 2:38 of the second round.

Costa walked Hendricks down from the opening bell, stuffed the former champion's takedown tries and made the size difference feel severe. By round two, Hendricks was being driven backward into layered kicks, body shots and uppercuts until the finish arrived.

Key moments

• Costa defended Hendricks' early double-leg attempts and answered with knees and body kicks.
• Forward pressure kept Hendricks on the fence for long stretches of the first round.
• A left hand and head-kick sequence badly hurt Hendricks early in round two.
• Costa finished him with a body shot and brutal uppercuts at 1:23 of the second round.

Costa wore Bamgbose down with pressure and body work, then punished a slip in the second round to force another UFC stoppage. Bamgbose had some wrestling success, but Costa's damage was heavier every time the fight returned to the feet.

Key moments

• Bamgbose landed takedowns in both rounds, but Costa kept reclaiming the center quickly.
• Costa's body kicks and Thai-clinch knees were a constant part of the attack.
• A slipped body kick in round two left Bamgbose grounded and defensive.
• Standing punches ended the fight at 1:06 of the second round.

Costa announced himself in his UFC debut by overwhelming McLellan in just 77 seconds with pure forward violence. The finish was short, violent and emphatic enough to earn him a Performance of the Night bonus.

Key moments

• This was Costa's UFC debut in Fortaleza.
• He walked McLellan down and overwhelmed him with power punches from the start.
• The official stoppage came at 1:17 of round one.
• The performance earned Costa his first UFC bonus.

Costa defended the Jungle Fight middleweight title by knocking out Balby in the opening round of the Sao Paulo main event. It was a clean championship defense and the last regional belt fight before his UFC call-up.

Key moments

• The bout headlined Jungle Fight 90 in Sao Paulo.
• Costa entered as Jungle Fight middleweight champion and left with a successful defense.
• He knocked Balby out with a punch at 3:25 of round one.
• The win pushed his record to 8-0.

Costa claimed the vacant Jungle Fight middleweight championship by submitting Eduardo Ramon in the first round. The result stood out because it gave the future knockout artist the only submission finish of his title-winning Jungle Fight run.

Key moments

• The middleweight title was vacant entering the fight.
• Costa won by rear-naked choke at 2:40 of round one.
• The victory made him Jungle Fight middleweight champion.
• It was one of the few submission wins on his professional record.

Costa needed just 77 seconds to stop Assis at Jungle Fight 84 and keep his knockout-heavy regional streak intact. The fight did not last long enough for much subtlety; he simply got on top of the action fast and never let Assis recover.

Key moments

• The fight took place on the main card of Jungle Fight 84 in Sao Paulo.
• Costa finished Assis with punches at 1:17 of the opening round.
• The stoppage moved him to 6-0 as a professional.
• It continued a run in which nearly every early Costa fight ended inside one round.

Costa headlined Face to Face 11 against Wagner Silva and finished him late in the first round. It was another regional main-event win built on attritional punching rather than a long tactical fight.

Key moments

• The event was promoted as Face to Face 11: Borrachinha vs. Wagnao.
• Costa won by TKO from punches at 4:37 of round one.
• The finish came with only seconds left in the opening frame.
• The result improved his pro mark to 5-0.

Costa closed 2014 with a doctor-stoppage win over Gerson da Conceicao after inflicting enough first-round damage to end the bout between rounds. It was one more fast regional finish in the build-up to his Jungle Fight climb.

Key moments

• The official result was a doctor stoppage at the end of round one.
• Costa's pressure and punches produced the damage that halted the fight.
• The stoppage was recorded at 5:00 of the opening round.
• He advanced to 4-0 as a professional.

Costa kept the early run moving with another quick first-round TKO, this time over Fabio Moreira at BH Fight. The pattern was already obvious: fast starts, heavy hands and very little time spent extending opponents.

Key moments

• The fight ended by punches at 1:26 of round one.
• It took place under the BH Fight: MMA Grand Prix banner.
• Costa recorded his third straight professional finish.
• The win moved his record to 3-0.

Costa scarcely needed half a minute to stop Ademilson Borges with a head kick and follow-up punches. It remains one of the quickest finishes on his record and showed how explosive his offense looked even that early.

Key moments

• The bout lasted only 32 seconds.
• Costa started the finish with a head kick before adding punches.
• The official method was TKO at 0:32 of round one.
• The win improved him to 2-0 as a professional.

Costa began his pro career by stopping Teo Esteves with a head kick and punches in Santa Luzia. The debut set the tone for the years that followed: immediate pressure and an early finish.

Key moments

• This was Costa's first professional MMA fight.
• He finished Esteves with a head kick and punches at 2:08 of round one.
• The bout took place at MMA Total Combat: Santa Luzia.
• The result launched his professional record at 1-0.