Rivalries: Paulo Costa

Order Now! UFC 302 "Makhachev vs. Poirier" Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski firmly asserted that Paulo Costa was operating at the height of his prowess at UFC 298 against Robert Whittaker. Although he lost the fight, Costa put on a vintage showcase of pure brawn and hard-nosed battle style. The Brazilian’s impressive run in the Las Vegas-based promotion between 2017 and 2019, along with his penchant for levity and comedic flair, have shaped him into an absolute fan favorite and netted him a shot at the 185-pound title at UFC 253.

“Borrachinha” frequently disarms people with quipping humor and satirical jabs at the expense of anyone and everyone. His once stoic and stern archetype of a combatant has now counterbalanced with his relatable persona, taking him to star status. With that, he finds himself where he always wanted to be: near the top of the middleweight division, fighting the best in the world. In his latest challenge, Costa will take on former divisional titleholder Sean Strickland, who dropped the strap to Dricus Du Plessis in January. They occupy the UFC 302 co-main event this Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Ahead of Costa’s forthcoming battle with Strickland, a look at some of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:

Yoel Romero

The battle of the middleweight powerhouses at UFC 241 could have unfolded in one of two ways: either they temper dynamite power with caution or go all out in a fierce duel to ascertain supremacy. Costa and Romero threw bomb after bomb, refusing to slow down in the swinging contest of hard hitters. Both fighters started out strong, and in the first frame, Costa dropped Romero with a left punch upstairs before the onetime Olympian returned the favor by scoring an immediate knockdown of his own. Just when it seemed that Costa was taking over, Romero would do just enough to fire back and tip the scales in his favor. Costa continued to press “The Soldier of God” with a heavy work rate, and the fight soon turned into a bruising competition. As the pace dipped, Costa started investing in body work. He landed several hard kicks to the breadbasket of Romero, who took the shots well and began landing with more punches upstairs down the stretch. In the end, all the judges scored the contest 29-28 unanimously in favor of Costa. The encounter was honored with the “Fight of the Night” award, while Sherdog.com declared the first period as the “Round of the Year” in 2019.

Israel Adesanya

Costa’s rivalry with Adesanya was simmering with mutual disdain stemming from contrasting personas. The Brazilian’s calculated taunts on the then-middleweight champion’s physique amidst doping allegations only intensified the tension. The fervor for the battle spilled over at the press conference and reached a boiling point during the faceoffs when Costa gifted “The Last Stylebender” a white belt in an attempt to pour scorn on Adesanya’s grappling credentials. However, in the UFC 253 main event, it was Adesanya who dominated Costa, adding a second title defense to his legacy. The first frame of the fight between the undefeated standouts was fought at a slow pace that favored Adesanya. The City Kickboxing superstar picked apart Costa’s lead leg with chopping shots that became the bedrock of his offensive onslaught up top. Adesanya slowly started mixing punches and body kicks in exchanges. He connected with a straight right and follow-up left hook that dropped the Brazilian, pounding out the finish at the 3:59 mark of the second round.

Order Now! UFC 302 "Makhachev vs. Poirier" Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+

Luke Rockhold

Another interesting rivalry in Costa’s career was his fiery feud with Rockhold. The former UFC middleweight champ claimed that Costa did not want the bout, alleging that the matchup was “forced down his throat.” Meanwhile, Costa made fun of Rockhold’s age, and the stage was set for the electrifying clash at UFC 278. The pair went at it from the opening bell to the final second, throwing haymakers at each other with nasty intentions. Rockhold, who returned to competition after three years, had his moments, but Costa was clearly the better fighter. The Brazilian busted Rockhold’s nose early in the fight and never stopped piling up the damage. A bloodied and battered Rockhold was able to find some openings to pick his shots, but they were not enough to tilt the scorecards in his favor. The judges scored the contest 30-27 in favor of Costa, who finally managed to snap the first and only two-fight losing skid of his career.