Paulo Costa

Paulo Henrique Costa, known throughout his career as "Borrachinha," is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who has competed in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions of the UFC.

Costa was born and raised in Belo Horizonte, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. He began training in Muay Thai at age nine, later moving into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu alongside his older brother Carlos, himself a fighter and coach. Following the death of his father to throat cancer when Costa was a teenager, he stepped away from martial arts for a period, working in real estate and teaching computer courses before committing fully to a career as a professional fighter.

Costa holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and made his professional MMA debut in 2012. He appeared on a Brazilian season of The Ultimate Fighter under Team Wanderlei Silva before going on to sign with the UFC.

Inside the cage, Costa is known as an aggressive power striker, built around heavy hands, relentless forward pressure, and a willingness to trade at close range rather than rely on lateral movement or point-scoring. That combination has made him one of the more physically imposing and violent strikers to come through the UFC's middleweight ranks.

Among the notable results of his career, Costa scored victories over former title challengers Yoel Romero and Johny Hendricks, as well as a win over fellow contender Uriah Hall. He also challenged for the UFC Middleweight Championship against Israel Adesanya, a title fight that stands as one of the signature bouts of his career.

Costa's nickname traces back to a childhood moniker tied to his brother's nickname for flexibility, and it has since become closely associated with his combustible, crowd-pleasing style. Between his chiseled physique, outspoken personality, and willingness to engage in wars with the sport's most dangerous strikers, Costa carved out an identity as one of the most feared and talked-about competitors of his generation in the UFC's middleweight division.