Paulo Costa
The Eraser
Brazil
Upsets Azamat Murzakanov
Costa defeated Azamat Murzakanov via TKO (punches) at 1:23 of Round 3 at UFC 327 on Saturday in Miami.
ANALYSIS
Costa has bounced back and forth between middleweight and light heavyweight of late, not having a ton of success. He fought a stone-cold killer here in Murzakanov, a guy who had been knocking everyone out seemingly his entire career, so of course he put forth a stellar effort. In many ways it was a tale of two fights for Costa. He looked great in Round 1, easily winning the frame before seemingly badly gassing out in Round 2. Paulo seemed to be headed towards another disappointing defeat, but he found a second wind prior to the start of the final frame and came out super aggressive. An early high kick appeared to severely damage Murzakanov's left arm and he was really never able to recover. Given his body type and age (35 in a few weeks), Costa seems better suited to remain at 205 pounds. It sure would be nice to see him string together a few performances like this moving forward.
Costa has bounced back and forth between middleweight and light heavyweight of late, not having a ton of success. He fought a stone-cold killer here in Murzakanov, a guy who had been knocking everyone out seemingly his entire career, so of course he put forth a stellar effort. In many ways it was a tale of two fights for Costa. He looked great in Round 1, easily winning the frame before seemingly badly gassing out in Round 2. Paulo seemed to be headed towards another disappointing defeat, but he found a second wind prior to the start of the final frame and came out super aggressive. An early high kick appeared to severely damage Murzakanov's left arm and he was really never able to recover. Given his body type and age (35 in a few weeks), Costa seems better suited to remain at 205 pounds. It sure would be nice to see him string together a few performances like this moving forward.
Fight Log
Loading Fight Log...
More Fantasy News
Returning against Murzakanov
Costa will fight Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327 on April 11, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Costa withdrew from his scheduled fight against Brunno Ferreira at UFC 326 but is now slated to return in April. Costa broke a two-fight losing streak with a win over Roman Kopylov in July, but stringing together back-to-back wins will likely be difficult, as Murzakanov boasts a perfect 16-0 record in professional MMA.
Costa withdrew from his scheduled fight against Brunno Ferreira at UFC 326 but is now slated to return in April. Costa broke a two-fight losing streak with a win over Roman Kopylov in July, but stringing together back-to-back wins will likely be difficult, as Murzakanov boasts a perfect 16-0 record in professional MMA.
Withdraws from UFC 326
Costa has withdrawn from his scheduled fight with Brunno Ferreira at UFC 326 on March 7, according to Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighting.com.
ANALYSIS
For Costa to withdraw from a fight more than two months down the line suggests that the reasoning for his bout withdrawal, reason undisclosed, may be a significant one that costs him time. Costa, a former challenger for the UFC Middleweight Championship, won his last fight, via unanimous decision over Roman Kopylov in July.
For Costa to withdraw from a fight more than two months down the line suggests that the reasoning for his bout withdrawal, reason undisclosed, may be a significant one that costs him time. Costa, a former challenger for the UFC Middleweight Championship, won his last fight, via unanimous decision over Roman Kopylov in July.
Booked against Ferreira
Costa will fight Brunno Ferreira at UFC 326 on March 7, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Costa emerged victorious over Roman Kopylov in July, marking the former's first UFC victory in nearly three full years. The 34-year-old middleweight will now attempt to make it two in a row by taking down Ferreira, who is three inches shorter than Costa but won all three of his fights in 2025.
Costa emerged victorious over Roman Kopylov in July, marking the former's first UFC victory in nearly three full years. The 34-year-old middleweight will now attempt to make it two in a row by taking down Ferreira, who is three inches shorter than Costa but won all three of his fights in 2025.
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.
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.