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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.
Shows well in co-main defeat
Costa lost to Robert Whittaker via unanimous decision (28-29, 28-29, 27-30) at UFC 298 on Saturday in Anaheim.
ANALYSIS
Fighting for the first time since August 2022 and entering as a +185 underdog, Costa put forth one heck of a showing. He looked healthy and effective, and that alone is a step in the right direction. Costa was responsible for the biggest moment of the fight, bashing Whittaker with a head kick late in Round 1. Rob was in all sorts of trouble, and Paulo may have very well gotten the stoppage if there were even a few more seconds left on the clock. Costa faded some in Round 2 but roared back for a solid Round 3, with Whittaker gaining an extremely slight edge. It's not easy to look past the defeat considering the Brazilian has just a single win dating back to August 2019, but this was a highly encouraging effort from Costa. His next step is to try and step in the Octagon a bit more frequently.
Fighting for the first time since August 2022 and entering as a +185 underdog, Costa put forth one heck of a showing. He looked healthy and effective, and that alone is a step in the right direction. Costa was responsible for the biggest moment of the fight, bashing Whittaker with a head kick late in Round 1. Rob was in all sorts of trouble, and Paulo may have very well gotten the stoppage if there were even a few more seconds left on the clock. Costa faded some in Round 2 but roared back for a solid Round 3, with Whittaker gaining an extremely slight edge. It's not easy to look past the defeat considering the Brazilian has just a single win dating back to August 2019, but this was a highly encouraging effort from Costa. His next step is to try and step in the Octagon a bit more frequently.