Paulo Costa attempts to provoke Azamat Murzakanov who smiles in response

Paulo Costa made an attempt to get inside Azamat Murzakanov's head during their pre-fight interaction ahead of their bout this weekend, but the Russian light heavyweight responded with little more than a smile.

Costa, 35, enters the fight as a ranked middleweight — currently sitting at number 13 in that division — though this contest takes place at light heavyweight, where Murzakanov is ranked 12th. The Brazilian carries a 16-4-0 record and fights out of an orthodox stance at six-foot-one with a 72-inch reach. He is one of the more prolific strikers in the sport, landing 6.26 significant strikes per minute at a 58 percent accuracy rate, numbers that underscore why he has a reputation as a pressure fighter willing to engage in wars.

Murzakanov, nicknamed "The Professional," appears to be living up to that name in more ways than one. The 37-year-old southpaw from Russia holds a 16-1-0 record and is the shorter man in this matchup at five-foot-ten with a 71-inch reach. Fighting out of K Dojo Warrior Tribe, he lands 4.70 significant strikes per minute at 57 percent accuracy and adds a modest takedown threat at 0.55 per 15 minutes. His composed reaction to Costa's pre-fight antics suggested he has no interest in being drawn into any psychological sparring before the two men meet inside the cage.

Why it matters

• Costa is moving up a weight class, adding intrigue to how his pressure-heavy style translates against a natural light heavyweight
• A win could push either fighter meaningfully up their respective divisional ladder
• The calm-versus-chaos dynamic on display before the fight hints at a potentially sharp stylistic contrast when it begins