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Dana White has rejected Paulo Costa’s claim that the UFC is preventing him from fighting, saying the Brazilian has received offers and declined them. The UFC CEO addressed Costa’s contract dispute after Dana White’s Contender Series Week 7 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.

Dana White was asked about Costa’s recent public criticism of UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell, which included a request to be released from the final fight on his current deal.

Dana White answers Paulo Costa

“What the f- does that even mean?” White said when asked for his reaction. “Oh, yeah, Paulo is frustrated, yeah. He’s been offered fights and turned them down.” White denied the suggestion that the promotion had decided to leave Costa inactive or withhold opportunities. He said UFC fighters are routinely presented with multiple bookings across a calendar year, whether or not they are currently able to compete.

Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

We don’t just say, ‘F- Paulo Costa and you’re not gonna get a fight. No, we’re not gonna pay you. No, we’re not gonna do this,'” White said. “Guys get offered three fights a year regularly. Even guys that aren’t fighting. Like, Tom Aspinall’s eyes are messed up. He’s getting offered fights. You think Paulo Costa isn’t getting offered fights?”

White did not identify the fights that the former contender Costa had allegedly been offered, the proposed opponents, dates, weight classes, number of rounds or financial terms. He also did not directly answer the Brazilian’s central complaint: that he says he has one UFC bout remaining at a purse agreed for three rounds, rather than a five-round main event.

Paulo Costa’s Offer

Costa, 35, took his dispute public in a September 18 statement from Las Vegas, directing his message toward Campbell. The Brazilian said he has one fight left on his current UFC contract and offered the company three ways to resolve the situation.

First, the 35-year-old said the UFC could book him in a three-round light heavyweight fight against any opponent on the roster. He maintained that his current purse was negotiated for that format and said he would accept any available 205-pound opponent.

His second proposal was a five-round light heavyweight bout in six weeks against anyone, provided the promotion raises his pay. The Brazilian athlete wrote that he would not accept “five rounds for the price of three,” framing the disagreement around the added preparation, risk and 10 extra minutes that come with a 25-minute assignment. The third option was an immediate release. “Release me from my contract now. Simple and clean,” he wrote.

There is a clear difference between the two public positions. The UFC athlete has said he wants to complete his UFC deal, but on either a three-round arrangement he believes is already covered by his contract or an amended deal for five rounds. White says the former contender has had chances to fight and elected not to take them.

Neither side has publicly supplied the details needed to settle the issue. Costa has not listed every offer he declined, while White did not say whether those offers involved three or five rounds, short notice, light heavyweight, or the pay structure Costa is contesting.

(Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC)

Costa’s post specifically claimed that Campbell had not offered him a standard three-round fight and that an available opponent might not emerge until next year. Campbell, who oversees the UFC’s fight business and handles fighter negotiations alongside the promotion’s matchmaking team, had not publicly responded to Costa’s latest ultimatum at the time of White’s comments.

Costa has been campaigning at light heavyweight and said he is prepared to face any opponent at 205 pounds if the contractual terms are settled. His last reported outing was an April win over Azamat Murzakanov, after which he sought another significant fight in the division.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JULY 19: Paulo Costa of Brazil (L) and Roman Kopylov of Russia exchange strikes during their middleweight bout during UFC 318: Holloway vs Poirier 3 at the Smoothie King Center on July 19, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)