Two Bonus for Josh Hokit at UFC 327 Made ‘Upset’ Paulo Costa Text Dana White for Snubbing Statement Performance

At UFC 327, Paulo Costa overpowered Russian star Azamat Murzakanov in the third round to extend his winning streak to two wins. Meanwhile, polarizing star Josh Hokit edged out a decision against perennial contender Curtis Blaydes to solidify his rise in the promotion.

Dana White and the UFC brass awarded two performance bonuses to Hokit, leaving Costa behind with just $25K bonus. These $25K bonuses came after UFC signed a $7.7 billion deal with Paramount+. Some fans believed that Costa did enough to secure a $100K performance bonus. Much to his dismay, Costa was upset to find out that the promotion snubbed him for a bonus.

I really think I deserved the bonus. That bonus is $100K. I don’t think Hokit deserved two bonuses. I feel like this is an injustice—unfair. It triggers the worst feelings in my mind and my heart. I’ve gone crazy. I want to smash. I texted them about it. I hope and trust that Dana and Hunter are going to take care of me. They’re going to rethink it, because I think they made a mistake. I performed amazingly, man. I saw him on the walk back, and he said, ‘You did amazing— incredible.’ He knows that. And Trump loved my fight.

Paulo Costa via The Ariel Helwani Show

Paulo Costa was so upset that he texted Dana White directly after not receiving a bonus following UFC 327:

"I really think I deserved the bonus. That bonus is $100K. I don’t think Hokit deserved two bonuses. I feel like this is an injustice—unfair. It triggers the worst feelings… pic.twitter.com/8yhPBl6W8W

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 14, 2026

The win at UFC 327 is a major turning point for the Brazilian star. Ever since losing his undefeated status at UFC 253 against Israel Adesanya, Costa has not performed well to fulfill his potential. Sometimes, the aggression goes away as witnessed against Sean Strickland at UFC 302.

Otherwise, Costa looks for the knockout punch, but gets outpointed by the opposition and lose via decision. This happened during his fights against Robert Whittaker and Marvin Vettori. Nevertheless, the Brazilian star didn’t give up. He has come up with a new style where he is dictating the fight with his brutal body kicks.

Last year at UFC 318, Costa dominated another Russian fighter, Roman Kopylov, over three rounds. The technical style of Kopylov did not affect Costa, as he countered his opponent with volume body kicks and precise strikes. The former middleweight title challenger even scored a knockdown as well in a near-flawless performance.

At UFC 327, he employed a similar strategy against Murzakanov. The Russian came in swinging, but Costa made sure to not engage with him. Instead, he moved his head in some instances, and threw kicks at his opponent in other sequences. Costa broke the rhythm of Murzakanov, which left the Russian’s defense compromised. The Brazilian landed a knockdown in the first round, but his opponent did not give up.

The second round was competitive as the Russian found some openings and landed huge shots. However, Costa continued with his gameplan to hurt his opponent’s body. After a back-and-forth action, both fighters separated to their corners before the final round started.

In the third round, Costa upped his pressure and volume and eventually cracked Murzakanov with a head kick. Yet even despite a statement performance, Dana White and the UFC brass did not award a bonus to the Brazilian star. This, in fact, made Costa more upset with Josh Hokit.

Paulo Costa wants money from polarizing star Josh Hokit

Fighters from other weight classes or professionals from other spaces, Paulo Costa doesn’t mind beefing with anyone. After all, he was brave enough to beef with middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev that turned into a heated rivalry. After UFC 327, the Brazilian star has turned his attention to heavyweight rising star Josh Hokit.

The issue at hand is the two performance bonus Hokit received from the UFC. Costa believed that he deserved the bonus for handing the first professional loss to a surging contender in Murzakanov. During his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, ‘Borrachinha’ explained his gripes with Hokit.

He had a great fight, I can’t lie. I think that was one of the best heavyweight fights I’ve ever seen in my life… but he got two bonuses. He got my performance bonus. I performed better than him… He owes me $100K, and I’m going to get that $100K one way or another. I’m going to make him pay me that $100K. We’ve got a beef right now—we’ve got a problem. A big problem… 100,000 problems

Paulo Costa via The Ariel Helwani Show

Paulo Costa calls out Josh Hokit over one major issue:

"He had a great fight, I can’t lie. I think that was one of the best heavyweight fights I’ve ever seen in my life… but he got two bonuses. He got my performance bonus.

I performed better than him… He owes me $100K, and… pic.twitter.com/jz3uu5glYG

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 14, 2026

For now, both Costa and Hokit will go their separate ways. After all, Hokit could be one or two wins away from earning a title shot in the heavyweight division. Meanwhile, lucrative matches await Costa in the middleweight and the light heavyweight divisions.

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