Prediction for the fight Roman Kopylov vs Paulo Costa
The postponed fight between Paulo Costa and Roman Kopylov has received a special status at the UFC 318 tournament – it will be the second most important event of the event scheduled for July 20.
In the last 7 fights, only one bet on Roman's victory did not come off - Anthony Hernandez spoiled the picture. Otherwise, neither Chris Curtis nor Cesar Almeida could surpass him.
Costa has missed out on bets on victory twice in a row: Whittaker and Strickland were better. Before that, he barely beat Rockhold, having previously lost to Adesanya and Vettori.
Towards the end, when Paulo's hands are lower and his speed and strength fade, it will be possible to implement more daring ideas. Most likely, Kopilov will outshoot him from a distance, miss in the opening minutes, but will survive this crisis and do his job. It is unlikely that it will come to a fight, but they can tinker in clinches.
Prediction: Victory Kopylov/Total Over (2.5) by rounds
Roman Kopylov vs Paulo Costa
Roman Kopylov
Roman is number 14 in the rating. His base is combat sambo, and we have repeatedly seen Kopylov as a triumphant winner of major competitions, including the world championship. Having switched to mixed fight, he also became the best in two leagues: Fight Nights and WCSA.In the last 7 fights, only one bet on Roman's victory did not come off - Anthony Hernandez spoiled the picture. Otherwise, neither Chris Curtis nor Cesar Almeida could surpass him.
Strengths
The Russian is very good in the stand-up, both in movement and in attacks, and he counters no worse than he explodes in attacks. Confident defense against takedowns and noticeable progress on the ground make him increasingly dangerous, and this is without taking into account the rich arsenal.Weaknesses
Still, Kopylov's love for striking makes itself felt: the aggressive style of some opponents prevented him from revealing himself in all his glory. And it is also too early to say that Roman is ready for clashes with elite wrestlers.The current form and readiness of the fighter
Kopylov is 33 years old, is on a two-fight winning streak and, unlike his perpetually injured and ill opponent, has already fought this year. A win over Kosta is the key to bigger fights, and there is no doubt for a second that Roman Yuryevich will take advantage of this chance.
Paulo Costa
"Borrachinho" is one line higher - in 13th place. Paulo has already fought for the UFC champion belt, and was close to doing it again on several occasions, but lost. But he has the titles of the Jungle Fight and Face to Face leagues, in addition to them - a black belt in jiu-jitsu, not counting 4 awards for bright fights.Costa has missed out on bets on victory twice in a row: Whittaker and Strickland were better. Before that, he barely beat Rockhold, having previously lost to Adesanya and Vettori.
Strengths
Paulo is just a solid middleweight who was lucky to have an impenetrable (almost) head, impressive physique for a middleweight, and a good set of skills: kicks, punches and takedown defense - they made life difficult for many. He is a powerful, fast and explosive fighter, but he does not implement it very well.Weaknesses
Fighting IQ is not about Costa, he often puts pressure on his opponent, keeping his hands low, receives completely unjustified damage, plus he often picks up infections and injuries. It is too late to talk about motivation to take the belt, apparently the Brazilian fights to earn money.The current form and readiness of the fighter
Paulo is 34 years old and now his career is on the verge of leaving the TOP-15, and then the end of his career, with such a frequency of performances, is not far away. Lack of progress, constant postponements of fights and failures of weigh-ins - this is a very problematic guy, so it will be possible to judge his form only if he reaches the cage.Comparative analysis
Kopylov will be slightly inferior in height, but he has an advantage in arm reach, which, combined with footwork, kicks on all floors and good counterplay, will allow him to avoid serious damage at the start, and then take control of the octagon. We all know that Costa is good at the start, so in the first two rounds it is better for Roman not to sharpen, but to "bicycle" and do enough to take rounds 10-9.Towards the end, when Paulo's hands are lower and his speed and strength fade, it will be possible to implement more daring ideas. Most likely, Kopilov will outshoot him from a distance, miss in the opening minutes, but will survive this crisis and do his job. It is unlikely that it will come to a fight, but they can tinker in clinches.
Roman Kopylov vs Paulo Costa Prediction
Actually, it is difficult to add anything to the above: Roman will execute the classic game plan of taming the "buffalo", take the victory on points, and perhaps please us with a beautiful finish in the 3rd segment. More than a year of downtime, even with a good performance with Strickland, is unlikely to allow Paulo to look noticeably better than Kopylov. Therefore, we make a risk-free bet on Roman's victory, as well as the fact that the fight will be protracted. Download 1xbet to your phone and place a bet on the favorite!Prediction: Victory Kopylov/Total Over (2.5) by rounds
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