Paulo Costa claims that he would have had to remain a light heavyweight if he faced Jan Blachowicz

Paulo Costa's return to the octagon has been delayed several times as the middleweight contender has not fought since last August. 'Borrachinha' recently revealed that his rumored bout against Jan Blachowicz didn't materialize due to the UFC's desire for him to remain at light heavyweight if he won.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, the No.5-ranked middleweight stated:

"Jan, he's lying. I never turned down a fight. Actually, in fact, he is who turned down the fight. I have always been negotiating that fight. For three or four days, I was negotiating with the UFC. I never pulled out the fight. I was actually very happy with that fight."

Paulo Costa added why the fight failed to materialize, noting:

"I accept the fight, but the UFC suggested to me that once I beat him, I don't come back to 185 [pounds]. They said 'once you beat Jan, you need to stay at 205 and hold your position because Jan is No.3 so you need to hold at 205'. I told them, 'guys, I have business to finish at 185 so I cannot go right now to 205'."

Catch Paulo Costa's comments on the Jan Blachowicz fight below:

Costa added that when the UFC decided to accept his terms, Jan Blachowicz declined the matchup. He suggested that the former light heavyweight champion may not have been ready for a short-notice matchup at UFC 288.

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Paulo Costa's return: 'Borrachinha' hints that Khamzat Chimaev could be next

Paulo Costa has not fought since defeating former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold at UFC 278. The No.5-ranked middleweight recently shared that Khamzat Chimaev could be his next opponent at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi in October, stating:

"It's true [that the UFC wants the fight], but I think October is so long. It is so far. That's why I was happy when the UFC asked me to fight Jan [Blachowicz] at 205 [pounds] because it's much, much less work to cut weight, and it doesn't affect my weight division at 185 [pounds], so I was sad when Jan declined... I think this fight's going to happen... I'm asking, I'm bothering the UFC to schedule a fight before [October], like in June."

Catch Paulo Costa's comments on facing Khamzat Chimaev below:

Costa claimed that the UFC's partnership with Abu Dhabi leaves the promotion in need of big fights for the annual card in October. He noted that he has not signed a new contract and if he is forced to remain out until October, he will need to be compensated for his time away.