Pulled from next weekend’s International Fight Week card, former middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa is reportedly set to return a month later at UFC 318 against Russian contender, Roman Kopylov from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Costa, the current number thirteen ranked middleweight contender, saw his return bout with Kopylov pulled from next weekend’s flagship return at UFC 317 for the promotion just shy of two weeks from the scheduled clash.
And sidelined since suffering a split decision loss to former champion, Sean Strickland at UFC 302 in the summer of last year, Belo Horizonte native, Paulo Costa is reportedly now set to fight Kopylov at UFC 318 next month according to MMA Fighting reporter, Damon Martin.
Paulo Costa set to fight Roman Kopylov at UFC 318
Hearing that Roman Kopylov vs. Paulo Costa is moving to #UFC318. It was reported earlier today that the fight was off #UFC317 and that’s true but just being rescheduled for a later date, from what I’m told,” Martin posted on X this evening.”
Off the back of his loss to Strickland, Costa now finds himself in the midst of a two-fight skid, following a prior decision loss to another former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker.
Without a victory since 2022, Costa’s most recent win came in the form of a unanimous decision win over former middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold.
For the number fourteen ranked, Kopylov, the former Fight Nights Global middleweight champion has been out of action since he turned in his second straight win, landing a high-kick knockout victory against Chris Curtis at UFC Vegas 101 at the turn of this year.
UFC 318 takes place on July 19. from New Orleans, with a symbolic BMF title fight trilogy clash between, Max Holloway and former interim lightweight kingpin, Dustin Poirier set to take main event honors in the latter’s slated retirement fight.
