Overview
- Paulo Costa knocked out previously unbeaten Azamat Murzakanov on April 11 at UFC 327 to debut at light heavyweight and enter the top 10.
- Joe Rogan said on his podcast that Costa should stay at 205 and argued he could win an interim title while champion Carlos Ulberg recovers from knee surgery.
- Carlos Ulberg suffered an ACL tear in his title-winning fight at UFC 327 and is expected to miss significant time, which has fueled talk of an interim belt at 205.
- Costa warned rival Khamzat Chimaev that a move to 205 would be “tragic” for him, as Chimaev prepares to defend the middleweight title against Sean Strickland on May 9.
- Costa voiced anger at being ranked No. 7 after beating the No. 6 contender, and media chatter has floated a possible interim bout for him, including a matchup with Magomed Ankalaev, though the UFC has not announced a plan.