Paulo Costa (15-4, 12) was born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil on April 21, 1991. At the age of 20 years on February 5, 2012, he made his professional MMA debut against Téo Esteves, winning the fight via 1st-round TKO.
On March 11, 2017, 25-year old Paulo Costa made his UFC debut on his 9th professional MMA fight at UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum against Garreth McLellan, winning the fight in the 1st round via TKO.
Costa's last fight was a 3-round unanimous decision win against Roman Kopylov at UFC 318 at age 34 on July 19, 2025. He is on a 1-fight winning streak.
He has fought 11 times in the UFC, and has a record of 7 wins and 4 losses in the promotion.
Some of Paulo Costa's best fights have been against Uriah Hall, Oluwale Bamgbose, Johny Hendricks, Garreth McLellan, Yoel Romero, Luke Rockhold and Roman Kopylov.
Costa has 4 losses on his MMA record.
| # | Date | Opponent | Promotion | Weight | Round | Method | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
19  | Jul 19, 2025 34 years, 2 months 15-4 (12) | 34 years, 2 months 14-3 (12) | UFC | MD | 3 | UD | WIN |
18  | Jun 1, 2024 33 years, 1 months 14-4 (12) | 33 years, 3 months 28-6 (15) | UFC | MD | 5 | SD | LOSS |
17  | Feb 17, 2024 32 years, 9 months 14-3 (12) | 33 years, 1 months 24-7 (14) | UFC | MD | 3 | UD | LOSS |
16  | Aug 20, 2022 31 years, 3 months 14-2 (12) | 37 years, 10 months 16-5 (14) | UFC | MD | 3 | UD | WIN |
15  | Oct 23, 2021 30 years, 6 months 13-2 (12) | 28 years, 1 months 17-5-1 (11) | UFC | LHW | 5 | UD | LOSS |
14  | Sep 27, 2020 29 years, 5 months 13-1 (12) | 31 years, 2 months 19-0 (14) | UFC | MD | 2 | TKO | LOSS Punches and elbows For UFC middleweight title |
13  | Aug 17, 2019 28 years, 3 months 13-0 (12) | 42 years, 3 months 13-3 (11) | UFC | MD | 3 | UD | WIN |
12  | Jul 7, 2018 27 years, 2 months 12-0 (12) | 33 years, 11 months 13-8 (11) | UFC | MD | 2 | TKO | WIN Punches |
11  | Nov 4, 2017 26 years, 6 months 11-0 (11) | 34 years, 1 months 18-7 (9) | UFC | MD | 2 | TKO | WIN Punches |
10  | Jun 3, 2017 26 years, 1 months 10-0 (10) | 29 years, 9 months 6-2 (6) | UFC | MD | 2 | TKO | WIN Punches |
9 | Mar 11, 2017 25 years, 10 months 9-0 (9) | Garreth McLellan | UFC | MD | 1 | TKO | WIN Punches |
8 | Sep 3, 2016 25 years, 4 months 8-0 (8) | Adriano Balby de Araujo | MD | 1 | KO | WIN Punch Defended Jungle Fight middleweight title | |
7 | May 21, 2016 25 years, 1 months 7-0 (7) | Eduardo Ramón | MD | 1 | SUB | WIN Rear-naked choke Won Jungle Fight middleweight title | |
6 | Dec 5, 2015 24 years, 7 months 6-0 (6) | Bruno Assis | MD | 1 | TKO | WIN Punches | |
5 | Apr 24, 2015 24 years 5-0 (5) | Wagner Silva Gomes | MD | 1 | TKO | WIN Punches | |
4 | Dec 19, 2014 23 years, 7 months 4-0 (4) | Gérson da Conceição | MD | 1 | TKO | WIN Doctor stoppage | |
3 | Nov 1, 2013 22 years, 6 months 3-0 (3) | Fábio Moreira | MD | 1 | TKO | WIN Punches | |
2 | Jun 15, 2013 22 years, 1 months 2-0 (2) | Ademilson Borges | MD | 1 | TKO | WIN Head kick and punches | |
1 | Feb 5, 2012 20 years, 9 months 1-0 (1) | Téo Esteves | MD | 1 | TKO | WIN Head kick and punches |
