Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov at UFC 318 | Preview & Prediction
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Number 13 meets number 14 in the UFC’s middleweight division as Paulo Costa looks to halt an alarming slide against the rising Roman Kopylov
Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov facts
What time are Paulo Costa and Roman Kopylov expected to walk out?
Where is UFC 318? Smoothie king Center, New Orleans, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC 318? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 318
What TV channel is UFC 318 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN
Where can I stream UFC 318? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC 318 main card
Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier (Lightweight)
Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov (Middleweight)
Kevin Holland vs Daniel Rodriguez (Welterweight)
Dan Ige vs Patrício Pitbull (Featherweight)
Michael Johnson vs Daniel Zellhuber (Lightweight)
UFC 318 prelims
Kyler Phillips vs Vinicius Oliveira (Bantamweight)
Marvin Vettori vs Brendan Allen (Middleweight)
Francisco Prado vs Nikolay Veretennikov (Welterweight)
Ateba Abega Gautier vs Robert Valentin (Middleweight)
Adam Fugitt vs Islam Dulatov (Welterweight)
Jimmy Crute vs Marcin Prachnio (Light Heavyweight)
Ryan Spann vs Lukasz Brzeski (Heavyweight)
Brunno Ferreira vs Jackson McVey (Middleweight)
Carli Judice vs Nicolle Caliari (Women’s Flyweight)
Paulo Costa vs Roman Kopylov prediction
Paulo Costa (14-4) comes into this bout at UFC 318 in severe need of a win after losing four of his last five in the Octagon. It is over a year since his last fight when he lost a split decision to Sean Strickland but that flattered him somewhat as he was second best to the former champion.
He has been fighting at the very top of the division for some years now and he has fallen short against the likes of Israel Adesanya, Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker and Strickland.
He will be eager to win here to stay relevant in the division and his place in the top 15 is under threat coming into this fight.
Roman Kopylov (14-3) is a surging presence in the division and he has won six of his last seven fights in the Octagon.
The 34-year-old Russian has knocked out his opponents in 12 of his 14 wins and five of his last six wins have come this way.
His CV does not have anywhere like the type of calibre that Costa’s possesses but he has been ruthless in beating so many of the men put in front of him.
It will be interesting to see how he approaches this fight and how his wrestling measures up to Costa’s. The Brazilian notoriously struggles with his gas tank but he should have a better chance over three rounds than five.
Costa should look to avoid the stand-up and take this to the mat where he could well have the advantage but Kopylov is no mug with his wrestling. Whether Costa does remains to be seen and his pride may see him stand and trade until he tastes Kopylov’s power.
It may be too late by that point however. Kopylov is a finisher and will not let Costa off the hook. Costa as a decent chin but we have concerns over the way his career is trending.
Kopylov has more ways to win and for that reason, we have to side with the Russian in what should be a decent fight.
Prediction: Roman Kopylov to win
