Paulo Costa stated he enjoys competing against Russian fighters, calling them tough like Brazilians. In his most recent bout, the Brazilian defeated Roman Kopytov. Costa has also been scheduled to face Russian fighters Ikram Aliskerov and Khamzat Chimaev in the past, though neither of those matchups materialized. His comments come as he continues preparing to face fighters from the region.
Paulo Costa has opened up about his affinity for facing Russian opponents, saying he finds them tough competitors in the same mold as Brazilian fighters.
Costa, known as "The Eraser," enters these comments off the back of a victory over Roman Kopytov. The 35-year-old Brazilian middleweight currently sits at number 13 in the divisional rankings and carries a professional record of 16-4-0. Competing out of Team Borracha, the six-foot-one orthodox striker is one of the more aggressive volume fighters in the weight class, landing 6.26 significant strikes per minute at a 58 percent accuracy rate.
Costa's history with Russian matchups is notable even if those bouts never came to fruition. He was previously scheduled to meet Ikram Aliskerov, a 33-year-old Russian southpaw who fights out of KHK MMA. Aliskerov holds an 18-2-0 record and presents a well-rounded threat, landing 6.86 significant strikes per minute at an impressive 64 percent accuracy while also averaging 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes. A matchup with Aliskerov would have been a high-output striking contest with genuine finishing danger on both sides.
Costa was also at one point lined up to face Khamzat Chimaev, the number-one ranked middleweight who competes under a UAE flag and trains at Allstars Training Center. The 32-year-old Chimaev carries a 15-1-0 record and is ranked tenth pound-for-pound. At six-foot-two with a 75-inch reach, Chimaev is primarily a wrestling-based threat, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 1.8 submission attempts in the same window.
Why it matters
- Costa's comments signal a willingness to stay active against fighters from the region despite two previous matchups falling through
- Aliskerov remains unbooked and represents a logical stylistic test for Costa at middleweight
- Chimaev's position at number one means any renewed interest in that pairing carries significant divisional weight for Costa at rank 13
