Bogdan Guskov has expressed his desire to share the Octagon with Paulo Costa. According to Iwo Baranievski, he agreed to fight Guskov, but Guskov declined the bout. Guskov responded by stating he is ready to fight anytime, saying they will make Baranievski "swallow those words." Gor Azizyan supported Guskov, noting that Baranievski has been talking a lot after beating Kopylov and Azamat, and suggesting it's time to "clip his wings." Azizyan added that if Baranievski doesn't accept the fight with Guskov, he should stop bringing up the "Russian theme."
Bogdan Guskov has publicly called out Paulo Costa while firing back at claims made by fellow light heavyweight Iwo Baranievski, adding a layer of social media friction to an already active 205-pound division.
Guskov, who trains out of GOR MMA, holds an 18-3-1 record and is currently ranked tenth in the light heavyweight division. The 33-year-old from Uzbekistan stands six-foot-three with a 76-inch reach and brings a submission-oriented game to the Octagon, averaging 1.1 submission attempts per 15 minutes alongside a striking accuracy of 55 percent. He took direct aim at Costa in a callout, while simultaneously disputing a claim from Baranievski, who alleged Guskov had declined a fight between the two. Guskov pushed back firmly, insisting he is ready to compete at any time and that he will make Baranievski "swallow those words."
Costa, ranked thirteenth in the middleweight division, carries a 16-4-0 record and is one of the more aggressive strikers in the UFC. The 35-year-old Brazilian stands six-foot-one with a 72-inch reach and lands 6.26 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy, numbers that put him among the busiest and most precise hands at 185 pounds.
Guskov received backing from his teammate Gor Azizyan, who pointed to Baranievski's recent wins over Kopylov and Azamat as the source of the Russian fighter's growing confidence. Azizyan suggested those results do not warrant the attention Baranievski has been drawing to himself, and warned that if Baranievski continues invoking a "Russian theme" without accepting the fight with Guskov, the talk rings hollow.
Why it matters
- Guskov sits at tenth in light heavyweight and a cross-divisional callout of Costa could raise his visibility ahead of a potential top-ten fight.
- The dispute with Baranievski adds a separate matchmaking thread inside a crowded light heavyweight landscape.
- A potential Costa bout would pit Guskov's submission pressure against one of the division's most prolific strikers, creating a meaningful stylistic contrast.
