UFC reportedly putting together banger fight for UFC Qatar co-main event

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 10:05 AM ET

(Zuffa LLC)

The UFC is reportedly working on a huge middleweight matchup between Paulo Costa and Shara Magomedov for the promotion’s first event in Qatar.

Featuring as part of a loaded slate of international events during the latter half of 2025, UFC Qatar will see the Octagon touch down in Doha for the first time with a UFC Fight Night card scheduled to take place on November 22.

Reports of fights targeted for the card have started to emerge in the last week or so, and a bout between middleweights Costa and Magomedov (first reported by Laerte Viana) is easily the highest-profile matchup lined up for the event so far.

Paulo Costa Hasn't Won Back-To-Back Fights Since UFC Title Shot

Currently the UFC’s #13-ranked middleweight, Costa brought a perfect 13-0 record into a title shot against Israel Adesanya in 2020 but was stopped by the champion in the second round.

“The Eraser” has only stepped into the Octagon five times since losing to Adesanya at UFC 253 and has gone 2-3 during that span, although his unique personality and activity on social media have still helped make the Brazilian one of the more recognizable stars in the UFC middleweight division.

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The 34-year-old competed twice in the same calendar year for the first time since 2017 last year and dropped a pair of decisions to former middleweight titleholders Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker, but at UFC 318 he scored a minor upset when he defeated Roman Kopylov in the card’s co-main event.

Shara Magomedov Gets Another Striker At UFC Qatar

Costa arrived in the UFC as a knockout machine with a high-pressure style but has tempered that approach somewhat in his recent fights. The Brazilian might consider a return to that style for his next outing, as he’ll be facing a dangerous striker that prefers to do most of his work from kicking range.

Magomedov also joined the UFC with an undefeated record in 2023 and went 4-0 to start his career in the Octagon. The 31-year-old collected three-straight “Performance of the Night” bonuses after defeating Bruno Silva in his promotional debut, and it was an incredible spinning back fist knockout against Armen Petrosyan at UFC 308 that really solidified him as a potential star.

(Craig Kidwell/MMA Junkie

“Bullet” suffered his first loss and had that considerable momentum halted when he dropped a decision to Michael “Venom” Page in a UFC Fight Night co-main event in Februrary, but Magomedov returned to the win column over the summer by defeating Marc-Andre Barriault in a bout that took home “Fight of the Night” honors at UFC Abu Dhabi.

Costa vs. Magomedov would serve as a strong co-main event for the UFC’s first visit to Qatar, and right now there are currently three fights that have been reported for the event on November 22.