With his black belt and impressive 1 loss record, Paulo Costa is arguably the most dangerous middleweight of this generation. Scroll down to check out these interesting facts about the Brazilian MMA fighter!
Paulo Costa: 16 Facts About The Brazilian Fighter!
1. Given Name: Paulo Henrique Costa
Costa started training in Muay Thai to learn self-discipline, as he often found himself getting involved in street fights.
Paulo Costa began his training using the help of his older brother, who was also a mixed martial artist. He enrolled in a Jiu-Jitsu gym but had to leave it after his father passed away. However, ‘The Eraser’ returned to the gym after some time.
Besides that, he got involved in real estate and taught Microsoft Excel and Word to support his mother.
2. Pro MMA Record: 13-1-0 (Win-Loss-Draw)
The Brazilian fighter made his professional MMA debut in his native country of Brazil in February 2012.
This would lead to his brother convincing their mother to support Paulo monetarily for a year so that he could dedicatedly pursue his professional martial arts career. Over the next five years, Paulo Costa amassed a record of 8–0 with 7 knockouts and 1 loss.
3. Nickname: The Eraser
Paulo Costa was the former ‘Face to Face’ and ‘Jungle’ middleweight champion. He is called the eraser because he won two Performance of the Night bonuses in the UFC against Uriah Hall and Garreth McLellan and one Fight of the Night bonus against Yoel Romero.
4. Current Streak: 1 Loss
On the strength of his five fight win streak in the UFC, Costa battled Israel Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight Championship on September 27, 2020 at UFC 253. He broke his streak and lost the fight via technical knockout in the second round, making this his first professional loss. This was also the first time Costa had been finished to strikes in his MMA career.
5. Age: 29 | Date of Birth: 1991.04.21
Paulo Costa is the son of odd-jobber Carlos Roberto and Maria Augusta. He was born in 1991 making him close to 30 years of age.
He has an older brother, Carlos Costa, who is a former mixed martial artist and one of Paulo’s first ever coaches.
Growing up, Paulo Costa was raised in Contagem where he played soccer and eventually picked up Muay Thai at the age of nine in order to learn discipline and avoid street fights he was constantly getting into.
As a teenager, Paulo joined a jiu-jitsu gym with his brother only to quit the sport after their father died of throat cancer when Paulo was 17.
A couple of years later, Costa returned to jiu-jitsu and started competing under the tutelage of his brother who was already a purple belt at the time.
6. Last Fight: September 26, 2020 in UFC
Feb. 5, 2012
Paulo Costa debuted his professional MMA debut in Santa Luzia, Brazil, finishing Teo Esteves in just over two minutes. It would be his first of six straight TKOs and 12 straight finishes.
Feb. 26, 2014
Costa is announced to be one of the fighters competing on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3. He’d win his elimination-round bout by submitting Jose Roberto but lost a split decision to Marcio Alexandre Jr. in the quarterfinals.
April 24, 2015
Costa earned a first-round finish of Wagner Silva Gomes and won the Face to Face middleweight championship, scoring his first piece of MMA gold, at FTF 11.
May 21, 2016
Costa scores the first (and to date only) submission win of his career, defeating Eduardo Ramon to become Jungle Fight middleweight champion.
March 11, 2017
Costa makes his UFC debut in Fortaleza, Brazil, taking out Garreth McLellan in 77 seconds, earning a performance bonus in the process.
Nov. 4, 2017
Costa took home what was his biggest win to date. In front of a capacity crowd at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Costa finishes former UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks at UFC 217.
July 7, 2018
Costa scored his second performance bonus with a second-round finish of Uriah Hall at UFC 226.
Aug. 17, 2019
Costa went to a judges’ decision for the first time in his MMA career, controversially defeating the Cuban fighter Yoel Romero in a war named UFC 241’s Fight of the Night.
September 27, 2020
On the strength of his five fight win streak in the UFC, Costa takes his first loss against Israel Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 253. He lost the battle via technical knockout in the second round, making this his first professional loss. This was also the first time Costa had been finished with strikes in his fighting career.
7. Weight Class: Middleweight | Last Weigh-In: 185.0 lbs
Paulo currently fights as a Middleweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of October 26, 2020, he is #2 in the UFC middleweight rankings.
8. Awards
Jungle Fight
- Middleweight Championship (One time)
- One successful title defense
Ultimate Fighting Championship)
- Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Garreth McLellan and Uriah Hall
- Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Yoel Romero
- 2019 August Fight of the Month vs. Yoel Romero
9. Height: 6’1″ (185cm) | Reach: 72.0″ (183cm)
Paulo uses his height and reach efficiently and earned himself a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
10. Career Disclosed Earnings: $380,000 USD
Costa is relatively new to the sport. However, the Brazilian fighter received a decent amount of money for his fights. Overall, he has made over $482,166.67 in his UFC career. This does not include undisclosed bonuses and other sources of income. Paulo Costa’s estimated net worth is around $380,000 to $1 million.
11. Born: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
The Brazilian fighter debuted his MMA career on the regional circuits of Brazil and eventually fought his way to the UFC. He is currently fighting out of: Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
12. Paulo Costa: Endorsements
The fighter has notably endorsed the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, in the past.
13. Paulo Costa: Controversies
In November 2017, the USADA suspended Paulo Costa for six months. They found out that he was using an IV to rehydrate on two separate occasions. The Brazilian blamed his doctor, who was then given a two-year suspension.
14. The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3
The MMA fighter first appeared in the third season of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. Even though he won his first bout, ‘The Eraser” lost his next fight via a split decision to Márcio Alexandre Jr. Fortunately for him, this submission does not appear on his pro record as it was considered an exhibition match.
15. Paulo Costa: UFC
The MMA fighter did not let the setback from TUF define his career.
The middleweight continued stacking up victories and went on an eight-fight win streak before joining the UFC.
It is surprising that Costa has just five fights in the UFC. Yet his popularity has reached a superstar level.
Costa put himself on the map after decimating former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks at UFC 217. He then stopped Uriah Hall in his tracks and out-muscled Yoel Romero in the following year.
16. Paulo Costa: Fighting Style
Paulo Costa has an explosive style of fighting. From the get go, the Brazilian puts a tremendous amount of pressure on his opponents.
Using his training, he throws his opponents down and lands devastating body strikes that ultimately lead to openings. Besides his fight with the Cuban fighter Yoel Romero, he has never seen the judges’ scorecards in his pro career.
Costa might not be the most accurate striker, but every strike he throws is meant to hurt the opposition. The Brazilian throws a lot of those strikes in the opening rounds. However, this style of fighting has its own setbacks or limitations. Costa’s cardio fades away as the fight progresses. And it becomes very difficult for him to put the same pace as the first round.
Apart from that, he is also a black belt in BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu)