{"id":42694,"date":"2026-02-11T06:08:30","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T11:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/11\/paulo-costas-coach-sparks-backlash-after-disclosing-brazilians-ambition-to-shift-to-light-heavyweight\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T06:08:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T11:08:30","slug":"paulo-costas-coach-sparks-backlash-after-disclosing-brazilians-ambition-to-shift-to-light-heavyweight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/11\/paulo-costas-coach-sparks-backlash-after-disclosing-brazilians-ambition-to-shift-to-light-heavyweight\/","title":{"rendered":"Paulo Costa\u2019s Coach Sparks Backlash After Disclosing Brazilian\u2019s Ambition to Shift to Light Heavyweight"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/11\/paulo-costas-coach-sparks-backlash-after-disclosing-brazilians-ambition-to-shift-to-light-heavyweight\/#Paulo_Costa_Reacts_Angrily_After_Coach_Discloses_His_Ambitions\" >Paulo Costa Reacts Angrily After Coach Discloses His Ambitions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/11\/paulo-costas-coach-sparks-backlash-after-disclosing-brazilians-ambition-to-shift-to-light-heavyweight\/#Costa_Sets_His_Sights_on_Dual_Titles_Amid_Fan_Skepticism\" >Costa Sets His Sights on Dual Titles Amid Fan Skepticism<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>It has been nearly a year since Paulo Costa last competed in the UFC Octagon, and he remains actively training for his upcoming return. Known as \u201cThe Eraser,\u201d Costa\u2019s last fight was in July at UFC 318 against Roman Kopylov.<\/p>\n<p>Costa was initially slated to make his comeback at UFC 326 in March, where he was set to face Bruno Ferreira. However, he pulled out of the bout shortly after it was announced, raising questions about his dependability once again.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Paulo_Costa_Reacts_Angrily_After_Coach_Discloses_His_Ambitions\"><\/span>Paulo Costa Reacts Angrily After Coach Discloses His Ambitions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Following Costa\u2019s withdrawal, the UFC revealed that he would be moving up to the light heavyweight division. His debut at 205 pounds is scheduled for UFC 327 in April, where he will take on the undefeated Azamat Murzakhanov. This move comes as Costa tries to regain momentum after several missed opportunities due to his pullouts.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, his transition to light heavyweight might not be permanent. According to his coach Andre Benkei, Costa\u2019s ultimate objective remains to capture UFC titles in two weight classes. \u201cHe is determined to become a world champion and aims to achieve that within a year,\u201d Benkei shared with MMAFighting.<\/p>\n<p>Benkei also explained that Costa never officially signed the contract for the Ferreira fight; they merely discussed the possibility because the UFC did not offer a top-10 or top-5 opponent. Costa was reportedly frustrated with the UFC but was promised that a win in his upcoming match could earn him a top-five ranking in both divisions, positioning him for a title shot in either weight class.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur goal is to be champions in both divisions. That\u2019s what he wants,\u201d Benkei affirmed.<\/p>\n<p><br \/>\n<em>Photo by Cooper Neill\/Zuffa LLC<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Costa_Sets_His_Sights_on_Dual_Titles_Amid_Fan_Skepticism\"><\/span>Costa Sets His Sights on Dual Titles Amid Fan Skepticism<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Costa\u2019s ambition to become a two-division UFC champion has been met with skepticism. Despite competing in the UFC with a 7-4 record, he has not demonstrated significant growth since his first title fight back in 2020. Many fans are critical of his lofty goals, questioning the likelihood of him achieving dual championship status.<\/p>\n<p>One fan remarked, \u201cDid Paulo really become a champion in two divisions? Who is backing him?\u201d Another added, \u201cBut he never actually won a title&#8230;\u201d A third fan jokingly said, \u201cHe\u2019s busy growing wings to learn how to fly.\u201d Additional comments expressed frustration about Costa\u2019s lack of improvement and urged the organization to cut ties with him altogether.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fan Take:<\/strong> Paulo Costa\u2019s journey highlights the challenges fighters face in balancing career ambitions with consistency and professionalism. His move to light heavyweight and pursuit of dual titles is a storyline worth following, as it could influence the landscape of UFC divisions and inspire debates about fighter commitment and evolution in the sport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It has been nearly a year since Paulo Costa last competed in the UFC Octagon, and he remains actively training for his upcoming return. Known as \u201cThe Eraser,\u201d Costa\u2019s last fight was in July at UFC 318 against Roman Kopylov. Costa was initially slated to make his comeback at UFC 326 in March, where he [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2443],"tags":[2444],"class_list":{"0":"post-42694","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fighting","8":"tag-fighting"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42694\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}