Paulo Costa wants to win UFC titles in three weight classes, move to boxing

Paulo Costa, an undefeated contender in the stacked UFC middleweight division, has big plans for his combat sports career. The 27-year-old Brazilian hopes to win the UFC middleweight title, then capture the UFC welterweight and light heavyweight titles, retain all three for a period, then retire from MMA and move to boxing.

That’s what he calls his Plan A. His Plan B? He says he doesn’t have one, because a Plan B implies a failed Plan A.

Paulo Costa broke down his lofty goals in an interview with Ag Fight.

“My career plan is simply to retain three belts and retire,” he said (translation via Bloody Elbow). “I can fight at welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight. I want to do boxing afterwards, before I turn 35. [A person who has a] Plan B never accomplishes plan A or B. You can’t have a plan B in life. When you have a plan B, you’ll give up in the first adversity you face. So what did I do? I said I would never have a plan B. My only one is plan A.”

Paulo Costa has already made big sacrifices to ensure his Plan A becomes a reality — and to avoid his dreaded Plan B. He’s prepared to continue doing so.

“I never had money to catch the bus to go train, nor to buy my supplements,” Costa said. “I spent six months away from home. I spent Christmas, New Year’s, everything, away from my family, with no means to go visit them. I simply soldiered through all that, because I had no plan B.”

Paulo Costa was briefly scheduled to fight recent UFC middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero at UFC 230 on November 3. Regrettably, Romero was not able to accept this fight. Costa now plans to wait for Romero and fight him in the new year.

Do you think Paulo Costa can capture titles in three UFC weight classes, or will the Brazilian knockout artist be forced to downgrade to a Plan B?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/24/2018.