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#4. Paulo Costa will lose his size advantage and even his speed
Standing just over 6 feet tall, Paulo Costa isn't the tallest middleweight. At light heavyweight, that may be a bigger problem. From No.7-ranked Magomed Ankalaev to the champ Jan Blachowicz, the top 205-pounders are all taller than Costa.
The Brazilian can impose his size on his 185lb opponents, but that will be significantly harder to do against bigger, 205lb fighters.
Even the smaller Marvin Vettori was able to land a takedown against 'Borrachinha'. It wouldn't be crazy to assume that Costa's takedown defense will be worse against experienced light heavyweights.
Another aspect that may also suffer is Paulo Costa's speed. The 30-year-old is a high-volume puncher with lots of power. If he feels he can get the finish, he dials up the pace. This, however, was not the case during his light heavyweight bout with 'The Italian Dream'. While he did land some big shots, 'The Eraser' was unable to match Vettori's volume.
Along with being the shorter fighter, Paulo Costa may also lose his explosiveness at 205lbs.
#3. Paulo Costa has always fought at middleweight
Paulo Costa made his pro-MMA debut in 2012. His first fight was with a promotion named MMA Total Combat, and he debuted at 185lbs. 'Borrachinha' knocked out his opponent Teo Esteves in round one.
He continued his dominant run, winning all his fights in the first round. In 2015, he won the vacant Face to Face middleweight championship. The next year, he became the Jungle Fight middleweight champion. It was his second title as a middleweight, and the Brazilian defended it once.
After signing with the UFC in 2017, Costa continued to dominate opponents at 185lbs.
Costa revealed why he couldn't make the 185lbs limit in the post-fight press conference at UFC Vegas 41. During fight camp, he injured his bicep and couldn't train for a few weeks. According to him, it would've looked like an excuse if he had revealed it earlier.
The Brazilian has always been a middleweight. He has won multiple titles in his chosen weight class. Instead of being forced to fight at 205lbs from now on, Costa deserves the benefit of the doubt, especially now that he has revealed he was injured.
