Paulo Costa tries to provoke Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327

Paulo Costa made a deliberate attempt to unsettle Azamat Murzakanov during a pre-fight interaction ahead of their UFC 327 bout on April 11, but the Russian fighter met every provocation with nothing more than a smile.

Costa, known as "The Eraser," enters the fight ranked 13th in the middleweight division with a record of 16 wins and 4 losses. The 35-year-old Brazilian out of Team Borracha is one of the most aggressive strikers in the UFC, landing an extraordinary 6.26 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy. Standing six-foot-one with a 72-inch reach, he fights out of an orthodox stance and brings relentless forward pressure to every contest.

Murzakanov, nicknamed "The Professional," carries a record of 16-1-0 and sits at number 12 in the light heavyweight rankings. The 37-year-old Russian, who trains with K Dojo Warrior Tribe, is a southpaw standing five-foot-ten with a 71-inch reach. He lands 4.7 significant strikes per minute at 57 percent accuracy and adds a modest takedown threat at 0.55 per 15 minutes.

Why it matters

• Costa's psychological tactics appear to be part of his fight-week strategy, but Murzakanov's composed reaction suggests he will not be drawn into an emotional contest.
• The two fighters come from different divisions, with Costa a ranked middleweight and Murzakanov a ranked light heavyweight, making the matchup an intriguing cross-divisional clash.
• Both men are high-volume strikers with similar accuracy numbers, setting up a potentially explosive stand-up battle with meaningful rankings implications for both divisions.