Paulo Costa Questions UFC Interim Belt Call

Paulo Costa has publicly challenged the UFC’s approach to injured champions, using the latest title change at UFC 332 to argue that the light heavyweight division should also have an interim championship. Costa’s complaint centers on Carlos Ulberg’s absence after knee surgery and on the different route taken at women’s flyweight, where Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong was set for a vacant belt. The Brazilian framed those situations as a question of whether the promotion is applying one injury standard consistently across divisions.

Costa said he had volunteered to fight for an interim belt at 205 pounds but that the UFC refused that route. In his message, he pointed to Valentina Shevchenko being stripped of her title because of injury, then contrasted that decision with Ulberg’s expected recovery timetable. Ulberg had indicated an early-2027 return window, while Costa wrote that he could step in to help keep the light heavyweight title picture moving. His argument is not simply a request for another fight; it is a direct challenge to how the UFC decides when an injured champion’s division needs a temporary or vacant title solution.

Costa ties his request to UFC 332

The timing of Costa’s callout is central to the issue he raised. UFC 332 had already reshaped the women’s flyweight championship situation, with Silva and Wang booked to compete for the vacant belt. Costa immediately used that development as the basis for his light heavyweight argument, saying Ulberg’s injury should receive comparable treatment. His stated position was that an interim 205-pound title should be put in line while Ulberg is unavailable. Costa’s wording also made clear that he sees himself as part of the proposed solution. He wrote that he would come to save the light heavyweight division, while saying the UFC had refused to put an interim light heavyweight belt in place. The source does not establish that the UFC has announced an interim title, selected a title opponent, or changed Ulberg’s status. What it does establish is Costa’s public request and his criticism of the promotion’s decision not to follow the interim-belt path he wanted.

That distinction matters because Costa is linking two developments without claiming they are the same formal case. At flyweight, the championship picture was changed and a vacant-title fight was set. At light heavyweight, Ulberg’s knee surgery and projected return window have left Costa arguing for a temporary championship option instead. Costa’s complaint is therefore built around process: he believes an injury that may keep a champion away into 2027 should trigger a title arrangement that allows the division to continue. The report also notes a business dimension beneath the public criticism. Costa has one fight left on his UFC deal, meaning an interim-title opportunity would place a fighter approaching the end of his contract into a major position. That context does not confirm what the UFC will do next, but it explains why Costa’s request carries stakes beyond his stated concern about consistency.

Pereira rankings become part of complaint

Costa broadened his criticism beyond Ulberg and the interim-belt question by targeting Alex Pereira’s placement in the rankings. He questioned why Pereira remained ranked at light heavyweight after moving to heavyweight and losing there. Costa also questioned Pereira being ranked fourth at heavyweight without a win in that division, specifically comparing that placement with Josh Hokit. The rankings portion gives Costa’s message a second focus. Rather than limiting his comments to a single title opportunity, he argued that the UFC lacks a consistent set of rules and uses double standards. Pereira and Hokit appear in Costa’s remarks only as examples he used to support that wider claim about how contenders are ordered. The source does not provide a UFC response to Costa, any explanation for the rankings, or a confirmed alteration to either divisional list.

• Costa’s interim-title argument: Ulberg is injured, has indicated an early-2027 return window, and Costa says the UFC should establish an interim light heavyweight belt.
• Costa’s rankings argument: he questioned Pereira’s light heavyweight and heavyweight positions, including Pereira’s fourth-place heavyweight ranking ahead of Hokit.

Costa has placed a specific demand at the center of his UFC criticism: open an interim title route at light heavyweight during Ulberg’s recovery. By connecting that request to the UFC 332 flyweight title change and then adding concerns about Pereira’s rankings, Costa has presented his case as a challenge to the promotion’s consistency. No interim bout or rankings change was announced in the report, but Costa’s position is clear: he wants the 205-pound title picture addressed now rather than waiting for Ulberg’s return.