This is the UFC 318 live blog for Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov, the co-main event middleweight bout Saturday at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
Costa (14-4), is hanging on to the No. 14 spot in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings. A one-time title challenger, Costa has just win one in his past five outings dating back to 2020 and just one knockout since 2018. Costa remains a popular figure due to his active social media presence, but inactivity and poor results have him closer to a pink slip than another championship opportunity.
Trending in the opposite direction is Kopylov (14-3), winner of two straight and six of his past seven. Following an 0-2 start to his UFC career, Kopylov found his finishing touch, rattling off four straight knockouts before a loss to Anthony Hernandez in February 2024. The Russian veteran is a dark horse contender at 185 pounds and a win over Costa would move him close to a potential championship opportunity in 2026.
Check out the UFC 318 live blog for Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov below.
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