Can Paulo Costa Become ‘The Eraser’ Once Again?
Paulo Costa was once looked at to one day become the face of the Middleweight Division. He was a terminator, dismantling every opponent that was put in front of him. He held a record of 13-0 when he was finally rewarded with a world title opportunity. He ended up being picked apart by Israel Adesanya, mentally and physically, since that fight, he has not been the same. He is 1-5 in his last six fights, and this could be a make-or-break moment for him. He is taking on one of the most dangerous strikers in Roman Kopylov in the co-main event of UFC 318. Can Paulo Costa channel his inner killer mentality once again, or will the mental toll of repeated losses be too much to overcome?
‘The Eraser’ was a fitting nickname when Costa entered the UFC in 2017. He decimated former champion Johny Hendricks, sending him off to retirement. He continued his war path by knocking out his next three opponents, which set him up for a title eliminator fight against Yoel Romero. That fight was one of the best three-round fights in UFC history, and Costa showed that he is well-rounded and can win a fight no matter where it goes. What made Costa so dangerous was that he was never put on the back foot; he was always walking you down and throwing bombs. He has one of the most underrated chins in all combat sports, so in a firefight, his power has always reigned supreme. If he can get in Kopylov’s face and close the distance, that will disable his dangerous leg kicks and put the fight where he can excel the most. When he gets Roman against the fence, he might showcase the wrestling that he has been working on over the past few years, which could pay him dividends because of how poor Kopylov’s wrestling and ground game have been so far. With a dangerous striker like Roman, this is the perfect fight for Costa to get back to who he has been known for and gain some confidence as he looks to make one last run towards a potential title fight shortly.
Roman Kopylov had a rude awakening when he entered the UFC in 2019. In his first bout, he lost by submission to Karl Anderson. Since then, the UFC has primarily matched him up with strikers, and he has excelled exponentially in those fights. He has faced one other grappler and got dominated and choked out by Anthony Hernandez. Costa is known as a powerful striker who can mix up his attacks with his hands and his feet. Costa has been gun-shy since his title fight, so if his output isn’t remotely close to Kopylov’s, he will be picked apart and potentially finished. When it comes to striking, there are few better than Kopylov, so his path to victory will be which version of Costa will enter the cage come Saturday night.
This is kind of a disappointing co-main event for a numbered UFC event, but it will not disappoint. These two fighters will get after it the second the fight starts, and a finish could happen at any time. With Dricus Du Plessis taking on Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 for the Middleweight Championship, the opportunity for the next challenger is wide open. Whichever way this fight goes, you don’t want to miss it and all the other action this Saturday, July 19th, for UFC 318. The main card is scheduled to start at 10:00 p.m. EST.
