Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov UFC 318 Picks
Dustin Poirier has been in the UFC since 2011 and was in the WEC in 2010 when the former parent company of the UFC purchased the organization. He is a legendary MMA fighter and is retiring after a storied career. He has one more fight before that against Max Holloway at UFC 318.
Poirier will give Holloway a chance to beat him after beating him twice, once in the Featherweight Division and once in the Lightweight Division. Holloway will have to do it in New Orleans at the Smoothie King Center, which will surely be rooting for the Louisiana-native Poirier. The early prelims begin at 6:15 p.m. ET, the prelims at 8:00 p.m. and the main card at 10 p.m. on pay-per-view (PPV). Here are our top UFC 318 Main Card picks and predictions for Saturday’s fight Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov.
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UFC 318 Main Card Odds & Picks: Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Paulo Costa (+190) vs. Roman Kopylov (-230) UFC 318 Picks
The co-main event is at middleweight between Paulo Costa and Roman Kopylov. Costa is ranked 13th and Kopylov is ranked 14th, but they are moving in different directions. Costa has lost four of his last five fights, with his lone win coming against Luke Rockhold. Kopylov is 4-1 over his last five and is much more active.
Costa has not been the same since he lost to Israel Adesanya via knockout in the UFC 253 title fight in 2020. He has not achieved a victory over a fighter on the active roster and does not possess the same edge he had upon entering the UFC in 2017. He has fought five times since 2020 and has not looked good in his recent fights.
Kopylov is a technical kickboxer with solid wrestling. He lands 4.96 significant strikes and absorbs 4.86 significant strikes per minute. He averages 1.17 takedowns landed per 15 minutes and defends 87% of takedowns. Kopylov should land precise power shots against Costa, who tends to be a pressure striker.
Kopylov has a three-inch reach advantage and excellent footwork, which will help him against Costa. He must avoid the power punches of Costa early in the fight, but can land clean strikes as Costa tires in the later rounds. Kopylov is too precise and can win a hard-fought decision against the aggressive Costa.
Bet: Roman Kopylov to Win by Decision (+100)