Paulo Costa says he enjoys fighting Russian opponents

Paulo Costa stated that he enjoys competing against fighters from Russia, calling them tough like Brazilians. His most recent bout was a victory over Roman Kopylov. Costa has previously been scheduled to face both Ikram Aliskerov and Khamzat Chimaev, though neither of those fights materialized. The comment suggests Costa appreciates the challenge that Russian fighters present. Details about why the Aliskerov and Chimaev bouts fell through are not provided in the original post.