UFC 318's Roman Kopylov views Paulo Costa as middleweight elite, despite recent skid
NEW ORLEANS – Paulo Costa has seen better days, but Roman Kopylov still considers him to be at elite level.
In easily the biggest fight of his MMA career, Kopylov (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) takes on Costa (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC 318 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at Smoothie King Center. "Borrachinha" finds himself in dire need of a win. He's on a two-fight losing streak and 1-4 in his past five bouts dating back to 2020.
Despite Costa's career rut, Kopylov is taking him seriously, and still finds him to be among the elite at 185 pounds.
"Either way, with all the delays and the mishaps in his career, he's still in the top 15, which is the elite part of the division," Kopylov said at Wednesday's UFC 318 media day. "I think he's exactly where he's supposed to be in his career."
This is the first time Kopylov fights a former UFC title challenger, and the first time he's part of a co-main event bout of a UFC pay-per-view. The Russian fighter understands this is a big career opportunity, and he's happy that he's on the path to his ultimate goal – UFC gold.
"It's a really big fight for me and a huge opportunity," Kopylov said. "A win over such an opponent like Paulo Costa would just bring me closer to the top of the division. Every victory gets me closer to where I want to be."
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