Paulo Costa’s UFC career has not gone as he planned, but “The Eraser” is looking to bounce back into title contention in the near future.
While he may have suffered defeats to Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker in recent years, the Brazilian fighter is famed as one of the top knockout artists in MMA with his performances since his UFC debut.
Here is everything you need to know about Paulo Costa.
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How old is Paulo Costa?
Paulo Costa was born on April 21, 1991. As of July 2025, he is 34 years old. Costa was born in Minas Gerais, Brazil, where he first trained in jiu-jitsu as a child.
Costa trained under his brother after his father died, while also working as an IT teacher to help his mother with bills.
Paulo Costa’s height, weight, and reach
Costa stands at 6 feet tall and usually weighs in at 185 lbs when fighting in the Middleweight division. He has a reach of 72 inches (183 cm).
For his fight against Sean Strickland at UFC 302, Costa weighed in at exactly 185 lbs.
Paulo Costa’s Instagram and X/Twitter account
Costa has a massive following on Instagram. His account, borrachinhamma, has over 1.5 million followers, who regularly receive updates on his training and promotional material for his upcoming fights.
Meanwhile, over 677,000 people follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter). On the account BorrachinhaMMA, Costa posts regularly and engages with fans on the platform.
Paulo Costa’s MMA record
| Record (W-L-D) | (T)KO | Sub |
| 14-4-0 | 11-1 | 1-0 |
Paulo Costa’s MMA stats
| Significant Strikes Landed per Minute | 6.22 |
| Significant Striking Accuracy | 58% |
| Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute | 6.56 |
| Significant Strike Defence (the % of opponents’ strikes that did not land) | 49% |
| Average Takedowns Landed per 15 minutes | 0.36 |
| Takedown Accuracy | 75% |
| Takedown Defense (the % of opponents’ TD attempts that did not land) | 80% |
| Average Submissions Attempted per 15 minutes | 0.00 |
Paulo Costa’s net worth
According to MMA Salaries, Costa has a net worth of between $2 million and $3 million. His total recorded fight earnings at $1.7 million, with his highest fee being for his fight with Adesanya, where “The Eraser” earned a reported $1.23 million.
Paulo Costa’s next fight
Costa’s next fight will be against Roman Kopylov at UFC 318, a late addition to the fight card.
The fight was originally supposed to take place at UFC 317, before Costa was forced to pull out due to illness.
It was then rescheduled for UFC 319, but was pushed forward a month to UFC 318 instead.
Paulo Costa vs Israel Adesanya
Costa challenged Israel Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight championship at UFC 253.
The 2020 bout saw the Brazilian put his undefeated streak on the line to try and win the title, although it didn’t go as planned.
The knockout artist was dominated in the first round before suffering a TKO loss in the second, the first defeat of his MMA career.
Paulo Costa vs Robert Whittaker
Costa had a Middleweight war with Robert Whittaker when the pair faced off at UFC 298.
It was a great performance by Costa, who showed incredible movement and improved cardio.
He lasted the full three rounds, but the judges rightly awarded Whittaker the victory.
Paulo Costa vs Sean Strickland
One of the biggest fights of Costa’s career was his UFC 302 middleweight clash with Strickland on June 1, 2024.
Strickland edged out the win after five rounds, but Costa impressed greatly despite the defeat.
He continues to fight up, despite suffering losses, which could be a good thing for his career in the long run as he continues to improve in the octagon.