Paulo Costa says he enjoys fighting Russian opponents

Paulo Costa stated that he likes fighting Russian fighters. In his most recent bout, the Brazilian defeated Roman Kopylov. Costa has also been scheduled to fight Russian opponents Ikram Aliskerov and Khamzat Chimaev in the past, though neither of those matchups materialized. The post does not provide extensive context for Costa's comments or indicate when or where he made the statement. His preference for facing Russian competition appears to be a recurring theme in his career.