Michael Bisping: Paulo Costa 'own worst enemy,' loses to Roman Kopylov at UFC 318
Costa (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) will look to snap a two-fight skid when he takes on rising middleweight Roman Kopylov (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in Saturday's co-main event (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
The former title challenger has lost four of his past five, and Bisping questions his mindset.
"Mr. Inconsistent, Paulo Costa, 'Borrachinha,' who's kind of turned into a bit of a meme," Bisping said on his YouTube channel. "He's a very funny guy to follow on social media. Some of the stuff that he posts is absolutely hilarious. But what's not so funny is the performances inside of the octagon, and the strength of schedule that he's had."
Bisping thinks Costa has not fought to his potential – and it's not for a lack of skill.
"The reason he's losing is because it seems like a mental block," Bisping said. "In this fight, he's got to bite down on his mouthpiece. He's got to go at Roman Kopylov, because Kopylov is younger, he's quicker, he's taller, he's on a roll, he's got knockout power and he's not afraid to mix it up.
"Against Sean Strickland, Costa just didn't do enough. He allowed Strickland to control the fight with just the jab. Strickland didn't really do much. It wasn't exactly a barnburner of a fight, but Paulo Costa is his own worst enemy. Athletically, physically, he's very gifted, but I think he's lacking a little bit upstairs. I don't mean that as an insult. I mean, there's a mental disconnect. A sports psychologist would definitely help him."
Winner of six of his past seven fights, Kopylov has finished five of those fights – most recently a head kick TKO of Chris Curtis at UFC Fight Night 249. With the difference in momentum between both Kopylov and Costa, Bisping made a definitive prediction.
"The man's a finisher – he's got 14 wins, 12 finishes, all by knockout," Bisping said of Kopylov. "I'm not sure if he knocks out Paulo Costa, but I am very confident that he gets the job done."
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