Paulo Costa Publicly Calls Out The UFC and Hunter Campbell For Major Booking Delays

UFC light heavyweight contender Paulo Costa calls out UFC CBO Hunter Campbell for ignoring his plea for next outing.

Paulo Costa Publicly Calls Out The UFC and Hunter Campbell For Major Booking Delays

Paulo Costa calls out Hunter Campbell (via Yahoo Sports, MMA Fighting)

Paulo Costa has been a UFC mainstay for several years, known for explosive fights and a strong personality. Despite recent setbacks, he continues to rank among the promotion’s most entertaining contenders. His move to light heavyweight at UFC 327 marked a fresh direction. However, Costa recently called out the UFC and CBO Hunter Campbell over uncertainty regarding his next booking.

Costa entered UFC 327 carrying renewed momentum after defeating Roman Kopylov at 185lbs by unanimous decision at UFC 318. Months of speculation preceded the Brazilian contender’s light heavyweight debut, where he faced the previously unbeaten Azamat Murzakanov. Costa caught Murzakanov with a head kick in the third round, handing the Russian contender the first defeat of his professional MMA career.

Costa has remained active on social media, frequently calling out contenders across multiple divisions. Despite this, there have been no official fight bookings or credible rumors regarding his next UFC appearance. ‘Borrachinha’ recently voiced frustration online over his situation, directly criticizing the UFC and specifically naming Hunter Campbell while addressing how his career is currently being managed.

Since I defeated Azamat in April, I have been looking for the next fight. I ve eventually opened the door to fight at heavyweight. UFC told me to wait…wait… Here we are it’s already July and I still looking to fight someone else at Lightheavyweight, middleweight or even heavyweight but the answer from @ufc by Hunter Campbell is the same : “Wait”. I want to fight I don’t want to wait. I have just one more fight at my contract and I want this fight happen soon , but for some reason They don’t.

Paulo Costa via X

Costa’s push for more activity stands out given his history of withdrawing from scheduled UFC fights, even as he now calls for a busier schedule. Before UFC 327, he was set to face Bruno Ferreira but pulled out of the bout. This pattern has followed him across multiple UFC matchups for years now.

‘The Eraser’ also had a canceled clash with Robert Whittaker at UFC 284 after withdrawing from the originally scheduled fight. The pairing eventually happened at UFC 298, where both fighters met in the Octagon. However, Costa lost that contest via unanimous decision, adding to setbacks in his UFC run.

Costa has also pushed for a fight against Khamzat Chimaev following the Chechen star’s middleweight title loss at UFC 328 and his comments about potentially competing at 205 pounds. The matchup was originally scheduled for UFC 294, but Costa withdrew shortly before the event because of an elbow injury.

Costa’s mention of heavyweight likely stems from his recent feud with rising contender Josh Hokit after UFC 327. The Brazilian contender repeatedly called out Hokit for taking home both the Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses, even expressing his willingness to move up to heavyweight.

Hunter Campbell has faced growing scrutiny over UFC fighter contracts in recent months. UFC legend Ronda Rousey and Colby Covington both criticized Campbell. Covington did so before recently leaving the promotion. Paulo Costa has now become the latest UFC fighter to publicly voice similar frustrations.

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Paulo Costa’s post hilariously foreshadows current controversy surrounding popular referee

Herb Dean has been one of the most experienced referees in mixed martial arts, officiating UFC bouts for over two decades. He began refereeing in the early 2000s and quickly became a regular presence inside the Octagon due to his consistency and calm control of high-pressure fights.

There has been major controversy surrounding Dean in recent times. He was heavily criticized for his decision-making at UFC 306 during the Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili main event. He faced scrutiny for multiple interruptions, including halting action to address corner-related conduct during exchanges.

Paulo Costa
Paulo Costa (via Bleacher Report)

However, controversy around Dean’s officiating has resurfaced following Alex Pereira’s protest after UFC Freedom 250. Pereira questioned the veteran referee’s handling of his co-main event fight against Ciryl Gane. He pointed to elbows to the back of the head from Gane that were not addressed during the bout.

However, in April 2026, Paulo Costa posted a video highlighting Dean’s in-cage coaching moment. During Tatsuro Taira’s fight against Edgar Chairez at UFC 290, Dean paused the action after illegal 12-to-6 elbows were thrown. He then showed Taira how to adjust the elbow angle to remain within legal rules.

Costa’s humorous post about Herb Dean’s in-cage coaching moment has gained relevance amid renewed scrutiny of the 55-year-old referee’s officiating decisions. What once appeared as a light joke is now being re-examined alongside recent controversy surrounding his judgment in UFC events.

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