Paulo Costa promised a different sort of fighter after a cold streak and a year-long layoff from fighting. He delivered at UFC 318.
Paulo Costa promised a different sort of fighter after a cold streak and a year-long layoff from fighting. He delivered at UFC 318.
The former middleweight challenger notched his first win in nearly three and his second in nearly six years with a unanimous decision win (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) win over the rising Roman Kopylov.
An underdog entering the fight, Costa looked like the fighter that began his career 13-0, knocking down Kopylov in the first round and dominating for much of the fight. Kopylov got some major shots in the third round, but not nearly enough to reverse possession of the night.
The best that could be said for Costa is that all his losses were against some of the UFC's best. Israel Adesanya used one of his best performances to hand him his first loss. Marvin Vettori and Robert Whittaker both won via unanimous decision. Sean Strickland needed a split decision to beat him in a bizarrely inactive bout.
It was after that last bout at UFC 302 in June 2024, that Costa took a long lay-off. He promised to be aggressive again against Kopylov, whose own fight style promised a firework show if Costa followed through. He did, and the result was one of the most impressive performances of the Brazilian's career.
We already have a clue on where Costa goes from here. Like his promise to be the aggressor, Costa promised he would call out future middleweight challenger Khamzat Chimaev after a previous fight date fell through.
The two have been the opposite of friends for quite some time, though Costa might need more than just this win to get Chimaev if the latter beats Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 in August.
Category: General Sports
