Paulo Costa gets honest about upcoming Roman Kopylov clash at UFC 318 with bold fight preview: "I think this fight is gonna be short"

Paulo Costa recently offered his thoughts on the upcoming Roman Kopylov fight at UFC 318. Costa emphasized the significance of this bout and shared his prediction as he aims to get back in the win column.

Costa is set to make his octagon return in a middleweight contest against Kopylov in the co-main event of UFC 318. The pay-per-view takes place at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on July 19.

In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Costa stressed Kopylov's abilities inside the cage but vowed to put on a strong performance, saying:

''This is a very important [fight] for me. This is a great matchup. [Kopylov] is a striker and he’s southpaw. I know how to fight against southpaws. I know he’s dangerous. He has good kicks and a good straight left hand, but I’m very prepared for that. I’m excited and happy for this fight. I think he can bring a great fight for me and him, of course. For everyone, for the audience.''

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Costa continued:

''This fight is going to be short, not 15 minutes, no way. Maybe two rounds, maybe in the first round. I think this is going to be a good collision, two guys looking for a finish. I will be there to finish this fight since the very first minute.”

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The two were initially booked for UFC 317 last month. However, the Brazilian fell ill and had to withdraw from the contest. He is 1-4 in his last five UFC outings, the most recent being a split decision loss to former champion Sean Strickland at UFC 302.

Meanwhile, Kopylov amassed a two-fight win streak after suffering his third UFC loss against Anthony Hernandez at UFC 298. In his last octagon appearance at UFC Vegas 101 earlier this year, the Russian secured a third-round knockout win over Chris Curtis.

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In the aforementioned conversation with Ariel Helwani, Costa expressed his desire to face Khamzat Chimaev next, saying:

''Chimaev. This son of a bi*ch, I want to fight this guy. It has to happen…I’ll call his name [out] after UFC 318, if God gives me this victory…he needs to fight me and I need to fight him. Because, look, I’ve tried to fight him for a long time. Since our beef inside the UFC PI, he has been avoiding to fight me for a long time. He always says no, and the UFC has tried to put this match together, for about two years''

Check out Paulo Costa's comments below:

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About the author

Swagat is a dynamic MMA writer with a total experience of a little less than a year, which includes time in retail and sports journalism. He holds an MBA degree.

Swagat fell in love with the sport after watching the iconic grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at UFC 182 in early 2015. Nate Diaz holds a special place in his heart for the Stockton native’s entertaining fan-friendly style and ability to deliver exciting fights regardless of the opponent.

In terms of rule changes in MMA, Swagat advocates for making scores public after each round, adding transparency to judging decisions.

Swagat prioritizes accuracy and relevance while writing and conducts thorough research to ensure the content is fresh and reliable.

He enjoys playing football and painting during his free time.

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena