Paulo Costa
The Eraser
Brazil
First win since August 2022
Costa defeated Roman Kopylov via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) at UFC 318 on Saturday in New Orleans.
ANALYSIS
Costa won each of his first five UFC fights, including four via knockout. Then the competition level jumped considerably, and he struggled mightily, losing four of five since. He got back in the Octagon here for the first time in over 13 months and put forth his best performance in quite some time. He was aggressive, and his boxing looked crisp. He threw a ton of kicks to both the legs and body and had Kopylov biting on every fake he threw. The fight-ending power Costa displayed early in his run with the company appears to be gone, and that is going to limit his ceiling considerably at age 34, but the guy we saw tonight has plenty of gas left in the tank and is more than capable of winning his fair share of fights moving forward.
Costa won each of his first five UFC fights, including four via knockout. Then the competition level jumped considerably, and he struggled mightily, losing four of five since. He got back in the Octagon here for the first time in over 13 months and put forth his best performance in quite some time. He was aggressive, and his boxing looked crisp. He threw a ton of kicks to both the legs and body and had Kopylov biting on every fake he threw. The fight-ending power Costa displayed early in his run with the company appears to be gone, and that is going to limit his ceiling considerably at age 34, but the guy we saw tonight has plenty of gas left in the tank and is more than capable of winning his fair share of fights moving forward.
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Moved to UFC 318
Costa's scheduled middleweight matchup against Roman Kopylov has been moved to UFC 318 on July 19, Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
The fight was originally scheduled for UFC 317 on June 28, and while reports Tuesday morning suggested it had been canceled, it is instead simply being pushed back. Costa, who has lost four of his last five fights, had been listed as roughly a (+210) betting underdog for the original fight.
The fight was originally scheduled for UFC 317 on June 28, and while reports Tuesday morning suggested it had been canceled, it is instead simply being pushed back. Costa, who has lost four of his last five fights, had been listed as roughly a (+210) betting underdog for the original fight.
Scheduled to face Kopylov
Costa will face Roman Kopylov at UFC 317 on June 28 in a middleweight bout, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Costa has been sidelined since mid-2024 due to an ankle/foot injury, but he's ready to return to the octagon and will do so against an opponent who has won six of his last seven fights. On the other hand, Costa has lost his past two bouts, against Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker.
Costa has been sidelined since mid-2024 due to an ankle/foot injury, but he's ready to return to the octagon and will do so against an opponent who has won six of his last seven fights. On the other hand, Costa has lost his past two bouts, against Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker.
Potential ankle/foot injury
Costa has been given an indefinite medical suspension from the New Jersey State Athletic Board due to a right ankle/foot injury, Nolan King of USA Today reports.
ANALYSIS
Costa threw (and connected on) far more leg kicks than he absorbed in Saturday's loss, but all it takes is one to land wrong. He'll now need clearance from an orthopedist if he intends to fight again before late-2024 and even if that happens tomorrow, he'll still be on the sidelines for a mandatory 30 days.
Costa threw (and connected on) far more leg kicks than he absorbed in Saturday's loss, but all it takes is one to land wrong. He'll now need clearance from an orthopedist if he intends to fight again before late-2024 and even if that happens tomorrow, he'll still be on the sidelines for a mandatory 30 days.
Can't take initiative in loss
Costa lost to Sean Strickland via split decision (49-46, 45-50, 46-49) at UFC 302 on Saturday in Newark.
ANALYSIS
Don't let that first scorecard fool you. While Costa fought well in spurts, Strickland is the rightful winner of this fight. The Brazilian has been spotty in terms of both cage time and performance in recent years, but his athleticism, power and ability to come back stronger after an initial fade make him live to beat almost anyone in the division. The main issue seems to be that Costa doesn't feel as comfortable throwing himself into the fire anymore, which was a big part of his success when he first entered the UFC. Any version of Costa is capable of a good scrap, but he needs to get back to that imposing force if he wants to forge ahead in the middleweight division. After beginning his career with 13 consecutive wins, Costa has now lost four of his last five fights in professional MMA.
Don't let that first scorecard fool you. While Costa fought well in spurts, Strickland is the rightful winner of this fight. The Brazilian has been spotty in terms of both cage time and performance in recent years, but his athleticism, power and ability to come back stronger after an initial fade make him live to beat almost anyone in the division. The main issue seems to be that Costa doesn't feel as comfortable throwing himself into the fire anymore, which was a big part of his success when he first entered the UFC. Any version of Costa is capable of a good scrap, but he needs to get back to that imposing force if he wants to forge ahead in the middleweight division. After beginning his career with 13 consecutive wins, Costa has now lost four of his last five fights in professional MMA.
Strickland co-main scheduled
Costa is scheduled to compete against Sean Strickland in a five-round middleweight fight at UFC 302 in Newark on June 1, per Mike Bohn of MMAJunkie.com.
ANALYSIS
With one fight, Costa has an opportunity to establish himself as the top contender for UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis. The 31-year-old Brazilian will take on DDP's last opponent, trying to earn himself another shot at middleweight gold. Costa putting up a solid effort against Robert Whittaker could mean that putting forth an elevated output against Strickland is not out of the realm of possibility.
With one fight, Costa has an opportunity to establish himself as the top contender for UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis. The 31-year-old Brazilian will take on DDP's last opponent, trying to earn himself another shot at middleweight gold. Costa putting up a solid effort against Robert Whittaker could mean that putting forth an elevated output against Strickland is not out of the realm of possibility.