Azamat Murzakanov and Paulo Costa faced off for the final time before their scheduled bout at UFC 327. The Russian fighter Murzakanov will be competing against the Brazilian veteran Costa. This represents a significant fight for both competitors on the UFC 327 card. The faceoff took place as part of the standard fight week media obligations. Fans are expressing strong support for the Russian contender heading into the matchup.
Azamat Murzakanov and Paulo Costa squared off for the final time before their UFC 327 bout, completing their fight week media obligations on April 10 ahead of the card scheduled for April 11.
Murzakanov, known as "The Professional," enters the contest at 16-1-0 and is ranked 12th in the light heavyweight division. The 37-year-old Russian southpaw trains out of K Dojo Warrior Tribe 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 supplements his striking with 0.55 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Costa, nicknamed "The Eraser," carries a 16-4-0 record and is ranked 13th at middleweight. The 35-year-old Brazilian out of Team Borracha is the larger man on paper, measuring six-foot-one with a 72-inch reach. An orthodox striker, Costa is among the more prolific volume punchers in the UFC, landing 6.26 significant strikes per minute at a 58 percent accuracy rate.
Why it matters
- Murzakanov fights primarily at light heavyweight while Costa is a middleweight, making this an intriguing cross-divisional contest with implications for both weight classes.
- A win for Murzakanov could strengthen his case for a top-ten light heavyweight ranking, while Costa needs a victory to reverse recent momentum concerns at middleweight.
- The stylistic matchup pits Costa's high-output orthodox striking against the southpaw approach and grappling dimension that Murzakanov brings to the cage.
- Fan enthusiasm ahead of the bout has been notably strong on the Murzakanov side heading into fight night.
Saturday, April 11, 2026
