UFC 318 fighter Paulo Costa spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his co-main event middleweight bout vs. Roman Kopylov.

UFC 318 is upon us.In Saturday's main event, Dustin Poirier steps into the Octagon for the final time of his career to face Max Holloway for the BMF title. And in the co-headliner, Paulo Costa returns to action against Roman Kopylov at middleweight.

“‘Mr. Inconsistent’, Paulo Costa, ‘Borrachinha’, who has kind of turned into a bit of a meme,” the British MMA legend said during his UFC 318 prediction video. “He’s a very funny guy to follow on social media. Some of the stuff that he posts is absolutely hilarious, but what’s not so funny are the performances inside of the Octagon.

Costa (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) and Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) were booked to fight at UFC 294 in October 2023, but Costa wound up withdrawing due to injury. Their rivalry dates back to a heated run-in at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas prior to Chimaev's UFC 279 win over Kevin Holland in September 2022.

Saturday's UFC 318 card will be a tear-jerker for Dustin Poirier fans. The beloved lightweight legend is set to make his final walk to the Octagon in the card's main event, and he'll do so in front of legions of dedicated fans on home turf in New Orleans.

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Israel Adesanya broke down the upcoming UFC 318 fight. ‘The Last Stylebender’ will have a vested interest in the co-main event, which comes in his division and features the man he defeated to record his second successful title defense in 2020.

UFC middleweight Paulo Costa is expecting a quick finish as he prepares to battle Roman Kopylov at UFC 318 this weekend.

Paulo Costa finally storms back into the octagon at UFC 318 this weekend (Sat., July 19, 2025) against No. 14-seeded Roman Kopylov, aiming to rediscover the ferocious "Borrachinha" that once electrified fans.