Henry Cejudo thinks Paulo Costa’s biggest fault is approaching every fight the same way.
Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) welcomes Khamzat Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) back to the middleweight division in the UFC 294 co-main event on Oct. 21 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Costa is coming off a unanimous decision win over Luke Rockhold last August at UFC 278. Prior to that, he lost back-to-back fights to former champion Israel Adesanya then Marvin Vettori. Cejudo thinks Costa has the well rounded skills but questions his game planning.
“For tactics, he fights everybody the same,” Cejudo said on his YouTube channel. “I think that’s the biggest thing that I have with him. You know what is coming, but because he’s a risk taker, that can also work in his favor. He is dangerous. He’s going to rely on that power. He’s going to rely on the hands, and if he can maybe take you down, he’ll probably take it there. I’m trying to think of fights where he fought people different. It’s rare.
“Paulo fights the way he fights, but look at the average too, what is it that he’s actually done in the UFC on the percentage of the great fighters he’s beaten but also has lost to. So, if there’s any area where I feel like he really needs help on, it’s going to be here, his tactics. … But that only comes from the technique. Can Paulo ‘Borrachinha’ add new techniques to be able to become a better tactical fighter?”
According to BetMGM, Costa is a +280 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on “Borrachinha” would win $280 profit. Chimaev is a -375 favorite, meaning a $375 bet would be needed on the unbeaten fighter to return $100 profit.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
