Alex Pereira backs Paulo Costa at 205

Alex Pereira has left 205 pounds, but his opinion still carries weight there.

Pereira is on his way into a new division after winning UFC belts at middleweight and light heavyweight. His next booking is against Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250, where an interim heavyweight belt is on the line. That move has not stopped him from looking back at the class he just vacated.

The belt Pereira left behind now belongs to Carlos Ulberg. The New Zealander beat Jiri Prochazka by knockout at UFC 327 in Miami after working his way back from a torn ACL. Pereira’s pick for Ulberg’s first challenger is Paulo Costa, another Brazilian who only recently arrived at 205 but made a clean, violent first impression.

Alex Pereira wants Paulo Costa next

Pereira made the case during an interview with Smash Cast Media. He did not frame the division as empty. His point was more practical: there are good fighters around the weight, but several obvious names do not have fresh winning momentum. That makes Costa’s timing useful. He is new to light heavyweight, but he just won there in a way that is easy for the UFC to sell.

Costa’s debut in the division came against Azamat Murzakanov, who entered the fight unbeaten at 16-0 as a professional. Murzakanov had built real interest at 205 after beating Aleksandar Rakic in 2025, and he was being treated as a dangerous outsider in the title race. Costa stopped him by knockout, which changed the conversation around his move up immediately.

Why Pereira’s pick has a case

Pereira pointed to two things that help Costa: the result and the audience. Costa has been in major UFC fights before, including his middleweight title bout with Israel Adesanya, so fans already know him. Now he also has a current win in the correct division. One fight at 205 is not a long resume, but a knockout over an unbeaten opponent gives the UFC a simple argument if it wants to move fast.

• Alex Pereira is moving to heavyweight and faces Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250.
• Carlos Ulberg won the vacant 205-pound belt by stopping Jiri Prochazka at UFC 327.
• Paulo Costa knocked out Azamat Murzakanov in his first UFC light heavyweight appearance.
• Pereira believes Costa’s win and popularity make him a valid title option.

UFC light heavyweight title race

The 205-pound division has been reset in a short window. Pereira’s departure opened the belt. Ulberg took it in Miami. Costa then came out of the same event with a result that put him into the conversation quicker than most fighters switching divisions could expect. The question is whether the UFC treats that one win as enough or asks him to beat another contender first.

Ulberg’s health also matters. The source material notes an injury issue coming out of UFC 327, and that leaves the timeline unsettled. If Ulberg can fight again before 2026 ends, Costa is one of the names Pereira would like to see opposite him. If the champion needs longer, the promotion may have to decide whether to wait, book another contender fight, or let the division sort itself out while Pereira chases heavyweight gold.

Pereira has no belt to defend at 205 anymore, but he named Costa as the fighter he wants to see get the next chance. Costa’s current claim is based on one light heavyweight fight: a knockout win over Murzakanov on the same card where Ulberg became champion.