Paulo Costa Agrees to New UFC Deal, Targets Potential Bouts vs. Strickland, Chimaev

Paulo Costa has come to terms on a new contract with the UFC, clearing the way for the former middleweight title challenger to compete sometime in 2023.

After a contract dispute led to a potential booking against Robert Whittaker at UFC 284 falling through, Costa revealed to Sherdog.com on Wednesday that he has reached an agreement with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

“I finally came to an agreement with the UFC,” Costa said. “The contract was not signed yet, but we finally agreed about values.”

According to Costa, he has been offered potential fights against Sean Strickland in May and Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21. Nothing is finalized at this time, but Costa is interested in facing both opponents if possible.

The 31-year-old Brazilian last appeared at UFC 278 last August, where he ended a two-bout skid with a unanimous verdict over Luke Rockhold. He is 6-2 in UFC competition, with other notable triumphs against the likes of Yoel Romero, Uriah Hall and Johnny Hendricks.