Paulo Costa calls out Khamzat Chimaev after vintage performance at UFC 318

Paulo Costa Turns Back The Clock In New Orleans

Costa vs. Kopylov was the second matchup between ranked middleweights at UFC 318, as the prelims also saw Brendan Allen take a hard-fought unanimous decision over former title challenger Marvin Vettori.

The middleweight tilt looked to be a striker vs. striker matchup on paper, and Costa immediately began peppering his opponent with kicks from the start of the bout.

Kopylov found success with his hands during the opening frame but was briefly dropped during the final minute, and "The Eraser" got right back to work pressuring the Russian with strikes when the second round kicked off.

The Brazilian started to really mix up his punches to the head and body as the second round went on, and while Kopylov still connected with some decent shots he found himself clearly down two rounds after ten minutes of action.

Kopylov came out with a significant amount of urgency in the third frame and found considerably more success during the final five minutes, but Costa was able to eat some massive shots and continue landing strikes of his own in order to secure his first victory since 2022.

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