First UFC fight won by KO
Costa's first UFC fight ended with a KO/TKO win over Garreth McLellan in round 1 at 1:17, at UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum on Mar 11, 2017.
MMAUFCLight HeavyweightOrthodox
Paulo Costa
BrazilAge, record and fight historyPaulo Costa is a UFC fighter who lost a title fight to Israel Adesanya at UFC 253 on Sep 26, 2020.
20 pro fights12 UFC fights1 title fight
Updated
About Paulo Costa
Born on April 21, 1991, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Paulo Costa fights from the orthodox stance and holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Costa trains at Fight Ready, his gym since 2017, and his professional career began in 2012. He fought at Middleweight in the UFC from 2017 to 2025. Costa lost a title fight to Israel Adesanya at UFC 253 on Sep 26, 2020. He has fought at Light Heavyweight in the UFC since 2021.
Agatha Research DeskUpdated Oct 27, 2026Fight history12
Every UFC fight in our records, newest first. A gold mark is a title fight.
| Date | Event | Opponent | Result | Method | Rd | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 2026 | UFC 327: Prochazka vs. Ulberg | Azamat Murzakanov | W | KO/TKO | 3 | 1:23 |
| Jul 19, 2025 | UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 | Roman Kopylov | W | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Jun 1, 2024 | UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier | Sean Strickland | L | Decision (split) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Feb 17, 2024 | UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria | Robert Whittaker | L | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Aug 20, 2022 | UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards | Luke Rockhold | W | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Oct 23, 2021 | UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori | Marvin Vettori | L | Decision (unanimous) | 5 | 5:00 |
| Sep 26, 2020 | UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa | Israel Adesanya | L | KO/TKO | 2 | 3:59 |
| Aug 17, 2019 | UFC 241: Cormier vs. Miocic 2 | Yoel Romero | W | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 5:00 |
| Jul 7, 2018 | UFC 226: Miocic vs. Cormier | Uriah Hall | W | KO/TKO | 2 | 2:38 |
| Nov 4, 2017 | UFC 217: Bisping vs. St-Pierre | Johny Hendricks | W | KO/TKO | 2 | 1:23 |
| Jun 3, 2017 | UFC 212: Aldo vs. Holloway | Oluwale Bamgbose | W | KO/TKO | 2 | 1:06 |
| Mar 11, 2017 | UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum | Garreth McLellan | W | KO/TKO | 1 | 1:17 |
How he is doing now
UFC record8-412 fights since 2017
Since moving up1-1at light heavyweight, since 2021
Last fightApr 11beat Azamat Murzakanov
Last 53-2WWLLWNewest first. Two wins in a row.
Did you know?!
Career
14years2012 to 2026
- 2017UFC debutBeat Garreth McLellan
- 2021Light HeavyweightMoved up a division
- Apr 11, 2026Latest fightBeat Azamat Murzakanov
Title fights
- Sep 26, 2020: lost vs Israel AdesanyaUFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa
How his UFC fights ended
8 wins
KO/TKO 5Decision 3
4 losses
KO/TKO 1Decision 3
Divisions
- Light Heavyweight: 1-12021 to 2026, 2 UFC fights
- Middleweight: 7-32017 to 2025, 10 UFC fights
First UFC fight
Mar 11, 2017: beat Garreth McLellan by KO/TKOFight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum, round 1, 1:17
Latest fight
Apr 11, 2026: beat Azamat Murzakanov by KO/TKOUFC 327: Prochazka vs. Ulberg, round 3, 1:23
Sources and updates
Fights, records and schedules come from Agatha's own records: ESPN's fighter records and results, and the UFC fight history in our data.
The professional record counts the UFC fight history in our data and ESPN's results after it: ESPN's own record has not caught up with them yet.
Updated Oct 28, 2026, 6:36 AM ET. Results and form refresh after every fight; biography facts are checked weekly.