So much for moving up to light heavyweight.
A highly-intriguing middleweight showdown between former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 185-pound title contender Yoel Romero and rising sensation, Paulo Costa, has been booked for the upcoming UFC 230 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Nov. 3, 2018 in New York.
The promotion announced the matchup earlier today (Tues., July 24, 2018).
Romero recently teased a move up to the 205-pound weight class in an attempt to sneak into a title fight against division champion Daniel Cormier, but since his calls were rejected it seems “Solider of God” is content with staying put at 185 pounds. In his last outing, Romero came up short in his bid to defeat division king Robert Whittaker at UFC 225 just last month.
Of course, the hulking Cuban failed to make weight for the bout for the second straight time.
As for Costa, the undefeated bruiser (12-0, 4-0 UFC) has been tearing it up over the last six years, winning every single one of his fights via stoppage which includes 11 technical knockout victories and one submission. During his time inside the Octagon, “Borrachinha” has made it look easy (and terrifying) by knocking out former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks in two rounds and was last seen demolishing Uriah Hall with a barrage of powerful punches a few weeks ago at UFC 226.
Costa (27) had previously called for a showdown against former 185-pound champion Chris Weidman, but a fight and subsequent win over Romero will likely get him closer to his championship goals. Speaking of Weidman, he will also be competing at the UFC 230 PPV event as he gears up to take on Luke Rockhold in a rematch years in the making.
With their tendency to stand-and-bang, Romero and Costa could be in line to deliver one of the most exciting and violent fights in recent memory.
Early predictions?