Bogdan Guskov has expressed interest in facing Paulo Costa inside the octagon. According to Ivo Baraniewski's team, Baraniewski agreed to fight Guskov, but Guskov declined the matchup. Guskov described himself as a Russian guy who grew up in Uzbekistan and is ready to compete at any time. His coach Gor Azizyan supported the Costa callout, stating that Baraniewski started the verbal exchanges after beating Kopylot and Azamat, and needs to be put in his place. If Baraniewski doesn't accept a fight with Guskov, Azizyan suggested he should stop talking about Russian fighters altogether.
Bogdan Guskov has publicly called out Paulo Costa while distancing himself from a potential matchup with unbeaten prospect Iwo Baraniewski, adding fresh noise to the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions.
Guskov, ranked tenth at light heavyweight with an 18-3-1 record, trains out of GOR MMA and describes himself as a Russian fighter who grew up in Uzbekistan. The 33-year-old stands six-foot-three with a 76-inch reach and carries a submission-oriented offensive game, averaging 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes alongside 4.17 significant strikes landed per minute at 55 percent accuracy. His callout targets Costa, a natural middleweight, suggesting Guskov is open to crossing divisional lines.
Costa, 35, enters the conversation ranked thirteenth in the middleweight division with a 16-4 record. Fighting out of Brazil under the Team Borracha banner, "The Eraser" is one of the sport's most active strikers, landing 6.26 significant strikes per minute at an impressive 58 percent accuracy. He stands six-foot-one with a 72-inch reach and rarely pursues the ground game, recording virtually no submission attempts across his career.
Baraniewski, meanwhile, remains undefeated at 8-0 and presents a striking-heavy profile of his own, connecting at a remarkable 70 percent accuracy with 15.77 significant strikes landed per minute. According to Baraniewski's team, he agreed to face Guskov, only for Guskov's side to decline. Guskov's coach Gor Azizyan pushed back, arguing that Baraniewski invited the friction by talking after wins over Kopylot and Azamat and that he needs to be "put in his place." Azizyan added that if Baraniewski will not accept a fight with Guskov, he should stop calling out Russian fighters entirely.
Why it matters
- Guskov targeting Costa hints at a potential cross-divisional or catchweight conversation
- Baraniewski's team claims a domestic matchup was already agreed and rejected, keeping that dispute unresolved
- Azizyan's public comments raise the temperature and could pressure matchmakers to respond to either callout
