Paulo Costa was not afraid to stand toe-to-toe with Yoel Romero.
Then unbeaten Costa faced former title challenger Romero in the co-headliner of UFC 241 in August 2019.
Costa put his foot on the gas pedal right off the bat, taking the fight to Romero. Costa kept pressuring, but he was met by a Romero high kick and a takedown, which he managed to stuff. Under a minute in, Costa dropped Romero with a short left, but Romero got a knockdown of his own when he blasted him with an overhand right, in what was a back-and-forth first round. Romero was able to back Costa up with a leaping knee through the guard, but the more active Costa was awarded Round 1.
