Magomed
Ankalaev is willing to fight Paulo Costa
despite considering it a lose-lose scenario.
Costa is currently amidst a falling-out with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship over the last fight on his
current contract. The Brazilian has repeatedly called out the
promotion online while campaigning for a fight. Former champ
Magomed
Ankalaev has now offered a solution.
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Ankalaev offers to serve as Costa’s final fight under his
current UFC contract
Costa’s latest gripe with the UFC involved being offered a
short-notice five-round fight for no additional pay. While Costa is
willing to accept a five-round fight, he wants to be compensated
accordingly and have ample time to prepare for a 25-minute bout.
Furthermore, he’s taken shots at UFC exec Hunter Campbell and asked
for his release multiple times.
Ankalaev has offered to be the last fight on Costa’s current
contract. The former light heavyweight champ believes Costa has
nothing to lose, as his stock will skyrocket with a win as he
enters free agency. Ankalaev believes he doesn’t have much to gain
from the matchup, as he’ll likely be the favorite, but is still
open to fighting “Borrachinha.”
“You beat me, you become a free agent and make millions,” Ankalaev
wrote on X. “I beat you, everybody expected me to beat you anyway.
You have nothing to lose. I’m your get-out-of-jail-free card. Let’s
fight.”
Costa is coming off back-to-back finishes, while Ankalaev returned
to winning ways against Bogdan
Guskov after losing the title in his rematch with Alex
Pereira.
You beat me, you become a free agent and
make millions. I beat you, everybody expected me to beat you
anyway. You have nothing to lose. I’m your get-out-of-jail-free
card. Let’s fight.— Muhammad big ANK Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM)
September 21, 2026