UFC 318: Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov Predictions and Odds

Ranked middleweight contenders Paulo Costa and Roman Kopylov will co-headline the UFC 318 PPV event on July 19 inside the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, as they vie to improve their respective positions in the division’s rankings.

Due to his two-fight win streak, Kopylov will head into the match as the betting favorite with -250 UFC odds. On the other hand, Costa is going to be the +200 betting underdog because of his two-fight losing streak and long layoff.

UFC 318: Costa vs. Kopylov Odds

• Paulo Costa: +200
• Roman Kopylov: -250

UFC 318: Costa vs. Kopylov: Prediction

I predict a TKO/KO finish for Kopylov against Costa because he’s the more active fighter among the two. Although Costa has fought several of the top names in the weight class, I still think that Kopylov’s momentum and hunger to earn a shot at the title will be the major factors in this bout.

Kopylov has fought every year since joining the UFC, whereas Costa has only competed in 10 matches since 2017. This disparity leads me to believe that the Brazilian often faces ring rust when returning from a lengthy layoff.

Costa, however, could use his Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills to try to nullify the solid striking skills of Kopylov because he holds a black belt in the discipline, and he has finished an opponent by submission in his professional career.

But I still think that Kopylov’s combinations and how he sets up his punches would be the deciding factor to get the job done. Costa only relies on one-punch wonders and haymakers, plus he tends to leave himself open for counters whenever he throws a strike.

Paulo Costa’s Recent Fight Results

Costa was a former Jungle Fight champion when he was signed by the UFC in 2016. He made his octagon debut against Garreth McLellan in March 2017 and stopped him in just one round. He then swept his next four fights to earn a shot at the UFC middleweight title.

However, Israel Adesanya defeated him via second-round TKO at UFC 253 to come up short in winning the coveted belt. Since then, he has won just one of his last three fights and is currently on a two-fight losing skid.

Roman Kopylov’s Recent Fight Results

Kopylov was the former Fight Night Global champion before he earned a spot on the UFC roster in 2019. But he was rudely welcomed by back-to-back losses from Karl Roberson and Albert Duraev before he found success in the promotion. 

The Russian power puncher won six of his last seven fights inside the octagon with five TKO/KO finishes. He currently rides a two-fight win streak with victories over Cesar Almeida and, most recently, Chris Curtis last January.

UFC 318: Costa vs. Kopylov: Tale of the Tape