Paulo Costa believes his win over Roman Kopylov at UFC 318 last weekend may have opened a window of opportunity.
Former UFC middleweight title challenger Costa (15-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) turned back the clock in Saturday’s co-main event at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, delivering the kind of elite striking performance that once made him a rising star in the 185-pound division.
After earning just his second victory since 2019, “The Eraser” now has his sights set on the upcoming UFC middleweight title fight between Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) and Khamzat Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC), scheduled to headline UFC 319 in Chicago on August 16.
Costa was originally slated to face Chimaev in October 2023 but had to withdraw due to an elbow infection. Now, coming off a strong showing last weekend, the Brazilian is once again shifting his focus to his Chechen rival.
During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show this week, Costa didn’t rule out the possibility of traveling to Chicago to serve as the backup fighter for UFC 319.
“I'm still thinking about that,” Costa responded when Helwani asked if he would be weighing in as an alternate for the middleweight title fight. “I'm still thinking about that. Everything is open. It's on the table. I need to have a talk with Hunter about that and figure it out.”
As impressive as Costa’s performance was last Saturday, it’s hard to envision a scenario where he jumps ahead of higher-ranked contenders like Nassourdine Imavov or Caio Borralho — who are set to face off in the main event at UFC Paris this September — for the next title shot.
However, if Khamzat Chimaev comes up short against “Stillknocks” at UFC 319, Costa’s chances of finally landing a bout against his longtime rival would almost certainly increase — though it’s not an outcome he’s actively hoping for.
“To be honest, I'm not getting this so emotional that I want (him to) lose (in order for me) to fight him next, because I know this is going to happen one way or another. This is going to happen sooner or later. And I'm not emotional enough to think ‘ah, I want this now, now, now.’ No, this is going to happen. And I have patience. I can wait, you know, for the right moment.
“But I truly believe (Chimaev’s) going to lose this one. Because he's emotional, you know? Because this is going to put him in trouble against Dricus. Man, this is something. He's very good. (Du Plessis) is very good. He's not orthodox at all. He's so weird. I'm not being disrespectful to him, but he's weird. His way of fighting is so weird.
“He jumps in the middle of the fight. He does something, but for some reason that works. And he's super strong. I have two friends who have fought him. One is Joilton Peregrino in Brazil. Another one is (Roberto) Soldic, the “Robocop”. He fought in ONE championship, I think, and KSW. And both guys say Dricus is super strong. So I don't think Chimaev (is) gonna prosper against him.”
