Paulo Costa will move up to light heavyweight at UFC 327. |
Getty/UFC
Paulo
Costa’s next Octagon appearance will come at 205 pounds.
The former middleweight title challenger will lock horns with
Azamat
Murzakanov at UFC 327.
Multiple outlets confirmed the matchup following an initial
report from Laerte Viana. UFC 327 takes place
on April 11 and is expected to be held in Miami.
A Stern Test
Costa was supposed to face Brunno
Ferreira at
UFC 326 but pulled out of that proposed middleweight bout.
“Borrachinha” snapped a two-bout skid in his last outing, when he
took a three-round verdict against Roman
Kopylov at UFC 318 this past July. Costa began his Octagon
tenure with five consecutive triumphs before falling to Israel
Adesanya via second-round TKO in a middleweight title clash at
UFC 253. Including that bout, the Brazilian is just 2-4 in his last
six promotional outings.
Murzakanov has made an impact in the UFC’s light heavyweight
division with victories in his first six fights. “The Professional”
secured his most significant triumph to date at UFC 321,
where he scored a first-round stoppage of Aleksandar
Rakic. Murzakanov has finished five of his six UFC wins via KO
or TKO.