Paulo Costa direly needs to redeem himself. His last fight against Sean Strickland at UFC 302 received nothing but boos as the fans perceived it as a boring bout. Strickland made up for it and entertained the fighting community with a rematch against Dricus Du Plessis. And now, it’s time for ‘The Eraser’ to do the same in his upcoming fight with Roman Kopylov. 

As of now, Kopylov stands as the #14 middleweight contender and Costa ranks at #13. A loss might push either of them out of the top 15 rankings, and a win might get them closer to a fight with a top 5 contender. The Brazilian has already set his eyes on Khamzat Chimaev, after the Chechen Wolf sent a private message to Costa’s girlfriend. No doubt, it’s all personal for the enraged Brazilian. But before that, Costa needs to claim a win. So without further ado, let’s compare the stats for Costa and Kopylov.

Costa vs. Kopylov height, weight, reach & other stats

Entering UFC 318, Paulo Costa stands 6 ft 1 inch tall with an extended reach of 72 inches. Meanwhile, his opponent, Roman Kopylov, is one inch shorter at 6 ft. However, the Russian middleweight star’s reach is considerably more (75 inches). Since both of them are predominantly strikers, this difference in range might be pivotal in the upcoming bout. But what about the other stats?

‘The Eraser’ has landed 6.22 significant strikes per minute, with an accuracy of 58%. He has absorbed 6.56 significant strikes per minute and has shown a significant strike defense of 49%. On the other hand, Kopylov has managed to land only 4.96 significant strikes per minute with 50% accuracy. His significant strike defense is around 55%, and he has a tendency to absorb 4.86 strikes per minute. Needless to say, Costa seems to be winning the striking game.

If we consider their past battles, Costa has won 11 fights via KO/TKO and 1 via submission. The Russian has won 12 bouts via KO/TKO. Both of them seem to have similar games on their feet as far as the finishing profile is concerned. Even Kopylov’s southpaw stance might not hinder Costa. After all, he has already defeated Yoel Romero and Johny Hendricks, two well-known southpaws in the middleweight division. On top of that, Kopylov has been submitted twice, but ‘Borrachinha’ is yet to face a defeat via submission. 

To make things interesting, both Costa and Kopylov are the same age (34 years), and their MMA record has 14 wins each. The only difference is that the Brazilian has lost one additional fight. But come UFC 318, who might claim the victory? 

Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov prediction: Who wins at UFC 318?

Kopylov is pretty excited to fight Costa. UFC 318, being his 10th fight in the UFC, he certainly expects to claim a win and extend his two-fight win streak. According to UFC.com, the Russian claimed, “This fight with Costa is very special and I would like to show a better version of myself here.” He already proved his strength in his last fight with Chris Curtis, as he KOed ‘The Action Man’ with a head kick in round 3. But a win over Costa would get him closer to the top of the middleweight division. He said, “Every victory gets me closer to where I want to be.”

But Costa seemed pretty confident regarding his upcoming battle. Talking to Ariel Helwani, he stated that the fight will end with a finish. He said, “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.” Costa continued, “This is a great matchup. He 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.”

However, Costa is the +210 underdog while Kopylov is the -250 fan favorite. ‘The Eraser’ is already in the quicksand, with a two-fight losing streak. He has won only once in his last five fights. One more loss might likely get him out of the promotion. But it’s also important to note that he has knocked out fighters like Uriah Hall and Hendricks. Now, the question is—Can Costa win against Kopylov at UFC 318?