Paulo Costa shares video of tough UFC 327 weight cut, even after move up in weight class

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Stepping up a weight class hasn’t made cutting easier for Paulo Costa ahead of his UFC 327 return. The former middleweight title challenger is set to make his light heavyweight debut on Saturday. Costa is looking to revive his career after winning just twice in six fights since 2019.

His first opponent in the division will be undefeated Azamat Murzakanov. The bout comes after Costa’s initial appearance at 205 pounds, which ended in a loss to Marvin Vettori following a weight issue. Despite moving up by 20 pounds, ‘Borrachinha’ still found himself dealing with another weight-related challenge during fight week.

Paulo Costa posts video after UFC 327 weight cut, showing what the process took out of him Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC Costa was one of the first to hit the scales during Friday’s weigh-ins in Miami, weighing in at 205 pounds – a pound under the light heavyweight limit for non-title fights. But while he made weight on time and comfortably under the limit, it didn’t look like an easy process in the hours leading up to it. The former middleweight shared a video on Instagram showing how his cut had wrapped up just before weigh-ins began.

The way he moved as he got to his feet suggested that fight weeks at light heavyweight might not be much easier than they were at 185 pounds. Coming in at 205 pounds is a good start for his hopes of getting back into title contention. Costa has said he wants a shot at whoever comes out on top between Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg, who are fighting for the vacant belt at UFC 327.