Paulo
Costa wants to bring excitement back to the
Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division.

Costa (16-4) recently slammed former champions Jiri
Prochazka and Magomed
Ankalaev, calling Prochazka “dumb†for his loss to current
champ Carlos
Ulberg and labeling Ankalaev's last bout “boring.†The former
middleweight title challenger is now eyeing a title shot.

Paulo Costa unloads on Magomed Ankalaev after UFC Abu Dhabi
while making his case for a UFC light heavyweight title shot

Following Ankalaev's stoppage of Bogdan
Guskov at
UFC Abu Dhabi, Costa has taken repeated shots at the Russian.
Despite Ankalaev securing a late finish, their recent bout was
lackluster, primarily due to Guskov backtracking throughout. Costa
now claims the former 205-pound king is closer to getting cut from
the roster than the title.

Costa also slammed Prochazka for his lapse in judgment against
Ulberg, wherein the latter clearly suffered a leg injury in the
opening round. Prochazka noticed the injury but opted against
taking advantage of it before “Black Jag†knocked him out.

Speculating on whom he should fight next, Costa has taken to social
media to ask fans to weigh in.

“Some say I should fight Jiri or Ankalaev,†Costa wrote on
Instagram. “Jiri's coming off a dumb loss and Ankalaev, after sat
another super boring fight, is closer to getting cut than to the
title. What u think about it?â€

“Borrachinha†also posted a clip from a podcast wherein former UFC
fighter Kenny
Florian and commentator Jon Anik discussed Ankalaev's crowd
reception at UFC Abu Dhabi. Florian even proposed Costa's name for
the next light heavyweight title shot. In the post’s caption, Costa
highlighted that Ankalaev was booed in Abu Dhabi, which is usually
considered home turf for Dagestani fighters.

Costa is coming off back-to-back upset wins over Roman
Kopylov and a previously undefeated Azamat
Murzakanov.

Jon
Jones has mixed feelings about Dana
White.

When recently asked to describe the
Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO in one word, Jones said
White is an “asshole.†However, the former double champ made sure
to emphasize that he describes White as such “right now†and
clarified that he loves White for changing his life.

Jon Jones explains why he called Dana White an ‘asshole’ after
UFC split with Tom Aspinall

The relationship between Jones and White soured amid the
promotion's efforts to book him against Tom
Aspinall. “Bones†ultimately vacated the heavyweight
championship, drawing the ire of the UFC head honcho. Nevertheless,
White continues to proclaim Jones is the GOAT despite their past
differences.

While their working relationship has seemingly hit a low point,
Jones admits that he'll always be grateful for the opportunities
afforded to him by the UFC.

“Right now, I'll say asshole,†Jones told ALF Global. “But I love
him, no matter what. He is my boss and he changed my life. But he's
an asshole right now.â€

Jones has indicated that he's still open to an Octagon return, but
his current priority is mentoring heavyweight up-and-comer Gable
Steveson.

The
Ultimate Fighting Championship has a contingency plan in place
for the UFC
330 main event.

Undefeated welterweight contender Michael
Morales has been tabbed as the official backup for the
championship bout between Islam
Makhachev and Ian Garry,
which headlines UFC 330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in
Philadelphia.

Michael Morales becomes UFC 330 backup for Islam Makhachev vs.
Ian Garry title fight

Morales (19-0) has confirmed that he has been instructed to make
championship weight (170 pounds) and remain on standby should
either Makhachev (28-1) or Garry (17-1) be forced to withdraw due
to injury, illness or any other unforeseen circumstance.

The assignment marks another significant milestone for the
Ecuadorian prospect, who has rapidly emerged as one of the
division’s top contenders. Morales has remained unbeaten through
seven Octagon appearances and secured the biggest victory of his
career with a first-round knockout of Sean Brady
in November last year.

The
Dana White's Contender Series alum has also built significant
momentum, in terms of both results and popularity, winning three
consecutive Performance of the Night bonuses in his last three
outings.