UFC 298 is Paulo Costa’s last chance: Understanding why the former title challenger cannot afford to pull out of any more fights

Paulo Costa was once a serious UFC middleweight contender, determined to capture the divisional title en route to crowning himself the best 185-pounder in the world. Unfortunately, that no longer seems to be his main priority. A humiliating TKO loss to Israel Adesanya derailed his initial career trajectory in a major way.

Whereas he was once heralded as an unbeaten juggernaut with a high finishing rate, 'Borrachinha' has since become extremely difficult for the promotion to deal with, whether due to him pulling out of one too many fights or listing unrealistic demands at the negotiations table.

Now, he seems more concerned with leaving fans in splits with his library of bizarre memes. But he was always going to fight eventually, and at UFC 298, he will have his crack at former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. Unfortunately for 'Borrachinha,' he cannot afford any more last-minute scandals.

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Paulo Costa's career downswing since losing to Israel Adesanya

Paulo Costa took on Israel Adesanya back in 2020. At the time, the Brazilian bruiser was an undefeated contender who had finished 12 of his 13 opponents, with only former middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero making it to a decision with him. Alas, Costa's plans to claim championship glory ended in disaster.

A brutal pressure fighter who backs his opponent up to the cage by side-stepping to cut off their angles of escape, he was a punishing presence inside the octagon. Once he had his foe sandwiched between him and the fence, Costa kept them there by intercepting their movement with an arsenal of strikes.

Opponents who tried circling to their right would be blasted by a lead left hook to the liver. If they opted to circle to their left, they'd shuffle into the path of a right round kick to the head or body. These strikes were never meant to deal crippling damage, only to serve as barriers to impede his opponent's movement.

Left with no other choice, his foes would often stand against the fence, bludgeoned by Costa's punishing combinations until they crumbled. 'Borrachinha' was confident that, like everyone prior, Adesanya would fall before him, too. Instead, UFC 253, their battleground, had an entirely different outcome.

Check out Israel Adesanya TKO'ing Paulo Costa:

Adesanya proved too slick. Once his back got too close to the fence, he flattened out his stance and shuffled from side to side, teasing a long sidestep to either the right or left, drawing out a committed punch from Costa only to circle in the opposite direction. And when Costa tried to kick him, he simply caught the leg.

With his foe one-legged, Adesanya pounced with quick combinations until 'Borrachinha' retracted his kicking leg. Before long, he was out of ideas and getting his lead leg battered by low kicks that left his thigh a purple mass of welts. In round two, Adesanya dropped Costa, TKO'ing him in one of his easiest-ever wins.

Not only was Costa made to look a fool in the cage, but while dazed from the TKO, was humped by the man he had spent months dismissing as a 'skinny clown.' It was embarrassing, and Costa's attempts to make excuses for his performance—by claiming to have consumed an entire bottle of wine—were even more so.

Thereafter, he broke. No longer a serious contender, he became a meme and leaned into it, putting more energy into a bizarre social media persona that irked even his own countrymen. But he still needed to fight. Rather, he needed money and demanded better pay from the UFC.

He highlighted how much more money Logan Paul was paid for his efforts in influencer boxing. Stunned, then UFC president (now CEO) Dana White reminded 'Borrachinha' that coming off the kind of loss he had suffered against Adesanya, he was in no position to be demanding more money. He needed to fight.

To redeem himself, Costa took a fight a year after losing to Adesanya. He was first scheduled to face ex-middleweight titleholder Robert Whittaker at UFC Vegas 24, but withdrew from the bout due to illness. It would be the first of many pullouts and scandals.

Months later, he was slated to face future title challenger Jared Cannonier at UFC Vegas 33. Sadly, Costa again withdrew from the fight, claiming to have never even signed a contract and, again, issuing complaints about his purse. Finally, on UFC Vegas 41, he locked horns with Marvin Vettori.

Ahead of the clash, Costa refused to make weight as originally agreed upon, stepping on the scale 25 pounds over the 185-pound middleweight limit, for which he was heavily criticized. The bout proceeded at light heavyweight and Costa lost via unanimous decision.

Check out Marvin Vettori beating Paulo Costa:

He was now on a two-fight losing streak and lost to Vettori, a serviceable but ultimately unremarkable fighter who no one will ever confuse for a future champion. In desperate need of a win, he subsequently accepted a bout with former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.

The bout was originally scheduled for UFC 277 but was, for whatever reason, moved to UFC 278. At the time, Rockhold was aging and 1–3 in his last four fights; all by knockout. Naturally, everyone assumed that Costa would finish Rockhold. Instead, they had a surprisingly competitive contest.

While Costa won via unanimous decision, a Fight of the Night against a then 36-year-old fighter returning from a three-year hiatus with a rough patch, and whom even Michael Bisping had knocked out, did him no favors whatsoever. Since then, on Aug. 20, 2022, Costa has failed to step inside the octagon.

He was again booked to fight Whittaker, this time at UFC 284, but Costa again claimed to have not signed a contract, and the bout was off. 'Borrachinha' was then subsequently booked for a UFC 291 matchup with promotional newcomer Ikram Aliskerov.

Only, he never faced Aliskerov. Instead, the Brazilian bruiser would go on to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294... only he didn't do so either. Nine days before the fight, Costa pulled out due to complications with an injured elbow and was replaced by ex-welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

Now, he is a few days from making the walk to UFC 298 to take on Whittaker, a man with whom he has been matched up several times now. Given his frustrating track record, if he pulls out again or has another weigh-in mishap, it could spell the end of his time in the UFC.

This is likely his last chance, his first fight in two years, and he must not squander it with any more of his antics.