Paulo Costa Gives UFC a Three-Option Ultimatum; Ankalaev Wants In

Paulo Costa wants his last UFC fight on the terms he says he already signed for — a three-round bout, not five. He's fresh off knocking out the previously undefeated Azamat Murzakanov (16-1) with a third-round kick, and now he's turned his contract dispute into a public negotiation, laying out three choices for UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell.

The math is simple, per Costa: one fight remains on his deal, and the purse is written for 15 minutes of work. He's asking for that three-round fight against anyone on the light heavyweight roster. If the promotion instead wants him in a five-round main event within six weeks, he says the pay needs to scale up. Option three? Cut him loose now.

The Streak Behind the Leverage

Costa's timing isn't an accident. The Murzakanov finish extended him to a two-fight run at 205 pounds — a win over Roman Kopylov preceded the knockout — and it marked a fresh start after years of struggles at middleweight. Beating an unbeaten prospect on the way out the door is the kind of result that buys a fighter room to make demands, and Costa's clearly betting it does.

Enter Ankalaev

Former light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev saw the post and raised his hand. Coming off a fifth-round finish of Bogdan Guskov (18-4-1) in July, Ankalaev framed himself as Costa's low-risk lottery ticket: beat me, he argued, and you're a free agent making millions; lose, and everyone expected that anyway. In his telling, he's the get-out-of-jail-free card Costa should want.

The bigger question hangs over the title. Champion Carlos Ulberg (15-1) blew out his knee during a first-round knockout of Jiri Prochazka and is shelved until 2027, leaving the division's top spot in limbo. Costa has campaigned for an interim-belt fight — provided the money is right to re-sign — which is where an Ankalaev matchup starts to look like more than social-media theater.

For now, nothing's booked and the UFC hasn't picked a door. But Costa put a date and a place on his statement — September 18, Las Vegas — and made clear he's done negotiating in private. Ankalaev's already agreed to whatever comes next. The ball's with Campbell.