You had to be an MMA fan in 2019 to understand the massive hype train behind Paulo Costa, an undefeated 13-0 (12 finishes) middleweight with eruptive power and one of the best physiques in the entire sport. And, especially after his three-round war with Yoel Romero, he was considered the biggest threat to the the-then UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Costa recently took to Instagram to share a picture of his fight with Uriah Hall at UFC 226 captioned “Strong enough, to always be ready!”. The shot of him landing a ferocious body shot perfectly encompasses why the fans loved him in the first place; an aggressive striking-heavy approach that relies on making the most of his strength and physique.
Having said that, Costa is now 14-4 and the rather humiliating loss to Adesanya started it all. Following his loss to ‘The Last Stylebender’, ‘Borrachinha’ went on a 1-3 run in his last four—competing sporadically between 2021 and 2024, with no fight in 2023. At UFC 317, he’ll take on the #14 ranked Roman Kopylov which, to be fair, is not what fans expected him to be doing after carrying a fierce aura comparable to the likes of Khamzat Chimaev, Ilia Topuria, and other undefeated prospects.
Kopylov, 14-3 and 34 years old, has finished 12 of his opponents and boasts decent power for a middleweight but he’s yet to face someone that can match Costa’s explosiveness. He tried to take down Chris Curtis a few times in his last outing but the ground is not his comfort zone and the Brazilian should be confident in his ability to defend any takedowns.
Kopylov is also a crafty striker but he keeps his hands low and focuses on landing combinations alongside frequent one-twos (jab followed by cross). So, ‘Borrachinha’ needs to get inside the pocket and catch the Russian when he decides to unload a combination. His opponent is yet to be knocked out in his career but the former UFC middleweight title challenger should realize that he’s one of the hardest hitters in the division.
Paulo Costa urged to stick to his old style for eventual success in the UFC
Paulo Costa is one of the funniest fighters in the UFC, given his flamboyant and troll online persona. Amidst his career’s highs and lows, though, the secret juice meme associated with Costa has survived because fans often claimed that his physique is unattainable naturally, the fighter admitted to taking a secret juice that the UFC couldn’t trace in their tests. This is obviously a running gag but now that he’s 1-4 in his last five fights, the “Secret Juice” is no longer a fun topic, it looks like.
Fans couldn’t help but point out that Costa hasn’t looked like the version of himself—the one that broke down UFC middleweights effortlessly—in a long time. In that vein, one fan said, “Old times, best times…,” , while another pointed out, “Bro throws 20 piece combos in training videos then throws nothing in the cage.” Some still have confidence that Costa, 34, can rise to the top of the UFC middleweight division if he goes back to his old fighting style, “Let’s go!! This version, aggressive up!!!”. Unsurprisingly, there were sad reactions to the post from long-time fans as well, “Miss the old Paulo.”
MMA: UFC 226-Hall vs Costa, Jul 7, 2018 Las Vegas, NV, USA Uriah Hall red gloves fights Paulo Costa blue gloves during UFC 226 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports, 07.07.2018 18:44:10, 10927025, T-Mobile Arena, Uriah Hall, MMA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xStephenxR.xSylvaniex 10927025
The ‘Secret Juice’ formula was obviously mentioned, but not in a manner that was favorable to Costa, who is not even a top-10 UFC middleweight anymore. These reactions will help you understand this sentiment better: “But weak enough to fall out the rankings” , “The fight that destroyed you mentally. Yikes” , “Bro…? secret juice” , “You’ve wasted your prime years posting on Instagram.”
Overall, it’s more of a mental game than a physical one for the Brazilian to emerge victorious at UFC 317. If he pushes the pace from the moment the fight starts and remains confident in his KO ability, Kopylov will be in for a rough night. If he ends up giving space like he did against Robert Whittaker and Sean Strickland, though, he’ll likely be jabbed and kicked from a distance to another frustrating decision loss. He also should have more faith in his chin and conditioning or else he’ll be too hesitant to enter Kopylov’s range.
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