Murzakanov and Costa face off before UFC 327 co-main event bout

Azamat Murzakanov and Paulo Costa met face to face at the ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC 327 on Thursday, completing their final staredown ahead of their light heavyweight co-main event scheduled for Friday night in Miami.

Murzakanov, known as "The Professional," enters the fight carrying a 16-1-0 record and currently sits ranked twelfth in the light heavyweight division. The 37-year-old Russian, who trains out of K Dojo Warrior Tribe, fights out of a southpaw stance and stands five-foot-ten with a 71-inch reach. He lands 4.7 significant strikes per minute at a 57 percent accuracy rate and averages 0.55 takedowns per 15 minutes, giving him a well-rounded offensive game as he looks to build further momentum in the 205-pound weight class.

Costa, nicknamed "The Eraser," makes his move up from middleweight for this contest. The Brazilian is 35 years old, holds a 16-4-0 record, and is ranked thirteenth in the middleweight division. Standing six-foot-one with a 72-inch reach and fighting out of an orthodox stance, Costa is one of the sport's most prolific volume strikers, landing 6.26 significant strikes per minute at a 58 percent accuracy rate. A former middleweight title challenger representing Team Borracha, Costa has not registered a submission attempt in his UFC career, making him a purely striking-oriented threat.

Why it matters

• Murzakanov is ranked twelfth at light heavyweight and a win over a high-profile opponent could push him further up the division's ladder
• Costa is stepping up in weight class, adding an extra layer of intrigue to how his style translates against a natural light heavyweight
• Both fighters carry strong striking accuracy above 55 percent, setting up a potentially explosive stand-up exchange on a stacked UFC 327 card