Paulo Costa has expressed his willingness to move up to heavyweight immediately to face Josh Hockitt. Costa believes fans would be excited to see him, potentially the biggest middleweight in history, compete at heavyweight without a weight cut at the planned White House event. He suggests that if the UFC still wants Derrick Lewis on the card, they can find him a different opponent. Costa added that if he gets the Hockitt fight at the White House, he could also collect the $100,000 that Hockitt allegedly owes him. The post includes a poll asking fans which fight they prefer: Costa vs. Hockitt or Hockitt vs. Lewis.
Paulo Costa has thrown his name into the heavyweight division picture, publicly offering to move up two weight classes to fight Josh Hockitt at the upcoming White House event rather than wait for a middleweight opportunity.
Costa, ranked thirteenth in the UFC middleweight division at 35 years old, made the case that his size makes the jump viable. The Brazilian stands six-foot-one with a 72-inch reach and carries a 16-4-0 professional record. He has suggested he would compete without a weight cut, framing himself as potentially the biggest middleweight in UFC history and arguing the matchup would generate significant fan interest. Costa also noted a personal financial motivation, claiming Hockitt owes him $100,000 that he could collect if the fight is made.
Costa is one of the division's more aggressive strikers, landing an impressive 6.26 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy across his career.
Derrick Lewis, the other fighter connected to Hockitt for the planned card, is a 41-year-old American heavyweight ranked eighth in the division. Standing six-foot-three with a 79-inch reach, Lewis carries a 29-14-0 record and brings considerable knockout power to the table. Costa acknowledged Lewis's place on the card, suggesting the UFC could simply find Lewis a different opponent if the Hockitt matchup shifted to him.
Why it matters
- Costa moving to heavyweight would be one of the more unusual cross-divisional callouts in recent memory, pitching a ranked middleweight against an emerging heavyweight contender
- If accepted, it would remove Lewis from his expected spot on a high-profile event, reshuffling booking plans for the White House card
- A fan poll accompanying Costa's callout signals this remains a public lobbying effort rather than a confirmed negotiation
