On the clock
5 of 8 wins inside the distance, 1 in round one. Stopped in 1 of 4 losses
When each fight ended. Wins above the line, losses below; decisions sit at the final bell.
KO or TKOSubmissionDecision
Career and every weight
Pick a weight to see the rating there, the numbers, and how they compare with that division.
Career
Every UFC fight, at every weight (205 lb, 185 lb). Red is a dominant win (85 or more), blush any other win, grey a loss or draw. Ratings are kept weight by weight, in the other tabs; they do not compare across divisions. Opposition here is each opponent’s standing at their weight going in, as a percentile of everyone rated there that year.
8–4UFC record
6 of 8Dominant wins
87Average win score
72ndOpposition, percentile
How the wins came5 KO/TKO 0 submission 3 decision
Finish rate62% of wins
Stopped in losses1 of 4
Knockdowns landed6
Average fight time12:38
Sig. strikes landed / absorbed per min6.2 / 6.0
Sig. strike accuracy59%
Takedowns per 15 min0.3
Control time6% of the fight
Best winYoel Romero rated 1871 at 185 lb going in
Against the division
How Paulo Costa’s UFC career compares with the careers of the 34 fighters on today’s light heavyweight board with 5 or more rated UFC fights, every weight counted. 100 is the best. Every light heavyweight leaderboard.
Top 10 against the light heavyweight board:No. 2striking accuracyNo. 4strikes landedNo. 5win streakNo. 9toughest oppositionNo. 10dominant-win rate
Dominant-win rateShare of wins scoring 85+
44
75%
Average win scoreOut of 100
48
87.2
Toughest oppositionOpponents' average standing at their weight going in, as a percentile
76
72nd
Finish rateWins by KO or submission
33
62%
Strike differentialLanded minus absorbed, per minute
28
+0.20
Strikes landedSignificant strikes per minute
91
6.15
Hardest to hitFewest significant strikes absorbed per minute
0
5.96
TakedownsLanded per 15 minutes
38
0.30
ControlShare of fight time in control
28
6%
LowestMiddleBest
How the fights went
Every rated UFC fight, every weight. Tap a mark for the fight.
Who they beat, and how
Best win: Yoel Romero, rated 1871 at 185 lb. Dominant in 6 of 8 scored wins
Each fight's dominance score against how highly the opponent was rated at that weight going in, as a percentile of everyone rated there that year, so every weight shares one scale. Up and to the right is a dominant win over a strong opponent.
Dominant winWinLoss or draw
205 lb
No. 7 of 49 active men ranked at light heavyweight, with a published rating of 1719 across 2 fights at the weight.
1–1Record at 205 lb
1 of 1Dominant wins
92Average win score
1649Avg opponent rating
How the wins came1 KO/TKO 0 submission 0 decision
Finish rate100% of wins
Stopped in losses0 of 1
Knockdowns landed1
Average fight time18:11
Sig. strikes landed / absorbed per min6.0 / 6.2
Sig. strike accuracy64%
Takedowns per 15 min0.4
Control time6% of the fight
Best winAzamat Murzakanov rated 1747 going in
Against the division needs 5 rated fights at 205 lb; Paulo Costa has 2 so far. The Career tab compares the whole UFC career.
How the fights went
Every rated UFC fight at 205 lb. Tap a mark for the fight.
On the clock
1 of 1 wins inside the distance, 0 in round one. Stopped in 0 of 1 losses
When each fight ended. Wins above the line, losses below; decisions sit at the final bell.
KO or TKOSubmissionDecision
Who they beat, and how
Best win: Azamat Murzakanov, rated 1747 at 205 lb. Dominant in 1 of 1 scored wins
Each fight's dominance score against how highly the opponent was rated at that weight going in, as a percentile of everyone rated there that year, so every weight shares one scale. Up and to the right is a dominant win over a strong opponent.
Dominant winWinLoss or draw
185 lb
No. 21 of 78 active men ranked at middleweight, outside the top 15 board, with a published rating of 1621 across 10 fights at the weight. Last fought at light heavyweight: beat Azamat Murzakanov, Apr 2026. This rating covers 185 lb only.
7–3Record at 185 lb
5 of 7Dominant wins
87Average win score
1603Avg opponent rating
How the wins came4 KO/TKO 0 submission 3 decision
Finish rate57% of wins
Stopped in losses1 of 3
Knockdowns landed5
Average fight time11:32
Sig. strikes landed / absorbed per min6.2 / 5.9
Sig. strike accuracy58%
Takedowns per 15 min0.3
Control time5% of the fight
Best winYoel Romero rated 1871 going in
Against the division
How Paulo Costa’s fights at 185 lb compare with the fights at the weight of the 51 fighters on today’s middleweight board with 5 or more fights there. 100 is the best.
Top 10 against the middleweight board:No. 2strikes landedNo. 6striking accuracyNo. 8win streakNo. 10knockdowns
Dominant-win rateShare of wins scoring 85+
Needs 8 wins
Average win scoreOut of 100
54
86.6
Toughest oppositionOpponents' average standing at their weight going in, as a percentile
78
70th
Finish rateWins by KO or submission
41
57%
Strike differentialLanded minus absorbed, per minute
56
+0.31
Strikes landedSignificant strikes per minute
98
6.21
Hardest to hitFewest significant strikes absorbed per minute
4
5.89
TakedownsLanded per 15 minutes
8
0.26
ControlShare of fight time in control
12
5%
LowestMiddleBest
How the fights went
Every rated UFC fight at 185 lb. Tap a mark for the fight.
On the clock
4 of 7 wins inside the distance, 1 in round one. Stopped in 1 of 3 losses
When each fight ended. Wins above the line, losses below; decisions sit at the final bell.
KO or TKOSubmissionDecision
Who they beat, and how
Best win: Yoel Romero, rated 1871 at 185 lb. Dominant in 5 of 7 scored wins
Each fight's dominance score against how highly the opponent was rated at that weight going in, as a percentile of everyone rated there that year, so every weight shares one scale. Up and to the right is a dominant win over a strong opponent.
Dominant winWinLoss or draw
Every UFC fight
12 fights on record, newest first, at every weight. Score is the fight's dominance score out of 100, this fighter first; 85 or more is a dominant win.
| Date | Result | Score | Opponent | Method | Round | Weight | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Apr 2026 | Win | 92–8 | Azamat Murzakanov | KO/TKO | R3 1:23 | Light Heavyweight | UFC 327: Prochazka vs. Ulberg |
| 19 Jul 2025 | Win | 85–15 | Roman Kopylov | unanimous decision | R3 5:00 | Middleweight | UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 |
| 1 Jun 2024 | Loss | 27–73 | Sean Strickland | split decision | R5 5:00 | Middleweight | UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier |
| 17 Feb 2024 | Loss | 20–80 | Robert Whittaker | unanimous decision | R3 5:00 | Middleweight | UFC 298: Volkanovski vs. Topuria |
| 20 Aug 2022 | Win | 82–18 | Luke Rockhold | unanimous decision | R3 5:00 | Middleweight | UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards |
| 23 Oct 2021 | Loss | 19–81 | Marvin Vettori | unanimous decision | R5 5:00 | Light Heavyweight | UFC Fight Night: Costa vs. Vettori |
| 26 Sep 2020 | Loss | 5–95 | Israel Adesanya | KO/TKO | R2 3:59 | Middleweight | UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa |
| 17 Aug 2019 | Win | 76–24 | Yoel Romero | unanimous decision | R3 5:00 | Middleweight | UFC 241: Cormier vs. Miocic 2 |
| 7 Jul 2018 | Win | 91–9 | Uriah Hall | KO/TKO | R2 2:38 | Middleweight | UFC 226: Miocic vs. Cormier |
| 4 Nov 2017 | Win | 92–8 | Johny Hendricks | KO/TKO | R2 1:23 | Middleweight | UFC 217: Bisping vs. St-Pierre |
| 3 Jun 2017 | Win | 87–13 | Oluwale Bamgbose | KO/TKO | R2 1:06 | Middleweight | UFC 212: Aldo vs. Holloway |
| 11 Mar 2017 | Win | 92–8 | Garreth McLellan | KO/TKO | R1 1:17 | Middleweight | UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum |