Paulo Costa is an acclaimed Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of March 2023, he is named #5 in the UFC middleweight rankings, and boasts a professional record of 14 wins and just 2 losses, with 12 wins by stoppage.

Born in Contagem, Brazil, Costa grew up playing football and Muay Thai. He eventually transitioned to mixed martial arts, and commenced his MMA career in 2012. Over the next five years, he amassed an impressive record of 8-0 with seven knockouts and one submission across various top-level promotions. He was chosen to be a fighter on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3, where he won his opening elimination round but lost his next fight via split decision. Costa made his long-awaited UFC debut in March 2017 at UFC Fight Night 106, winning the fight via TKO in the first round and earning his first Performance of the Night award. Since then, Costa has faced some of the biggest names in the UFC, including Johny Hendricks, Uriah Hall, Yoel Romero, and Israel Adesanya. Having only suffered only two losses in his professional career, Costa is widely regarded as one of the best middleweight fighters in the UFC. He is also a two-time winner of both the Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night awards.

Despite his success in the octagon, Costa remains humble and dedicated to his craft, and his work ethic and determination are an inspiration to aspiring fighters around the world. He has aspirations of becoming the champion in his division, something he is well-placed to achieve if he continues to improve at his current rate. Outside of UFC, Costa takes great pride in interacting with the countless fans on his Instagram profile.