Costa Says UFC Denied Him Interim LHW Title Shot at 332

Paulo Costa says the UFC refused his offer to fight for an interim light heavyweight title at UFC 332, and he's not letting the promotion hear the end of it.

UFC 332 takes place October 3 in Salt Lake City, headlined by a vacant women's flyweight title fight between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong after Valentina Shevchenko relinquished her belt. Costa says he pitched himself for an interim light heavyweight title fight on that same card and got turned down flat.

"UFC could put LHW interim belt in line for this," Costa wrote on X. "I told them but they refused to, so shrug"

He followed with a louder version of the same pitch. "Put the LHW interim belt in line and I WILL COME TO SAVE THE LHW DIVISION!" he wrote, adding that the promotion offered no explanation for passing.

Why Costa Thinks The UFC Is Being Inconsistent

Costa argues the UFC is applying a double standard on stripping and interim belts. He pointed to light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg's current injury layoff as a case the promotion is treating differently than it treated Shevchenko, who had her flyweight title taken after she couldn't defend it.

"The UFC doesn't have a consistent standard of behavior or set of rules," Costa wrote. "UFC stripped Valentina out from her Belt due injury. Carlos Ulberg is injured and MAYBE fight second semester 2027."

The subtext isn't hard to read. Costa is on the last fight of his current UFC deal, and a promotion generally doesn't hand a title opportunity, interim or otherwise, to a fighter who's about to become a free agent. Costa seems to know this too. He's framed the whole exchange as leverage as much as a genuine title bid, going as far as to say he'll fight out his contract on his own terms regardless. "If there no belt in line I gonna fight someone else for 3 rounds and get out of the UFC contract," he wrote.

What It Means For Costa's Next Fight And The Betting Markets

Costa's leverage play matters more for oddsmakers once his final-fight opponent is actually announced than it does right now. A fighter publicly angling to run out his contract tends to get priced as live money by bettors who assume he has nothing left to protect and everything to prove on his way out the door. Until the UFC names who Costa actually fights, there's no line to read, but his public stance is worth watching once matchmaking for that bout is confirmed.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Paulo Costa say about UFC 332?

Paulo Costa said he offered to fight for an interim light heavyweight title at UFC 332 on October 3 in Salt Lake City, but the UFC refused to book it.

Why is Paulo Costa upset with the UFC?

Costa argues the UFC is inconsistent for stripping Valentina Shevchenko's flyweight title due to injury while not doing the same with injured light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg.

Is Paulo Costa still under UFC contract?

Yes, Costa has said he is on the final fight of his current UFC contract, which is part of why he believes the promotion won't put him in a title fight.