Despite a win in his last outing, Paulo Costa will be taking on a new challenge — a new weight class — in his next bout.
Per a report from Laerte Viana, the former UFC middleweight title challenger will be moving up to light heavyweight.
Costa’s first fight at the weight class will be quite the test, taking on the undefeated Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327.
Costa had been scheduled to compete at UFC 326 against Brunno Ferriera. He’s since been replaced in the bout by Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues.
Paulo Costa vs. Azamat Murzanakov Booked For UFC 327
Costa has gone 2-4 in the UFC, with a number of withdrawals and re-bookings, since unsuccessfully challenging Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 253.
After missing all of 2023, Costa dropped decisions to Robert Whittaker and Sean Strickland in 2024. He, however, successfully returned at UFC 318 with a decision win over Roman Kopylov.
Murzakanov is 16-0 in the sport, including a 6-0 UFC record since arriving from Dana White’s Contender Series. Murzakanov scored the biggest win of his career at UFC 321 in October, knocking out Aleksandar Rakic.
UFC 327 takes place on April 11 in Miami.
