MMA

UFC Vegas 41: Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori Preview

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has a jam-packed schedule and this Saturday we are getting what should be a very entertaining middleweight fight between Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori.

Better known as Paulo Borrachinha in his home country of Brazil, Paulo Costa debuted in mixed martial arts in February 2012 and went 8-0 with seven knockouts and one submission over the next five years. Also nicknamed ‘The Eraser’, Costa debuted in the UFC on March 11, 2017, knocking out Gareth McLellan in the first round at UFC Fight Night 106 to earn a Performance of the Night award.

Costa followed it up with wins against Oluwale Bamgbose, Johny Hendricks, Uriah Hall and Yoel Romero in his next four fights. He beat Romero via unanimous decision at UFC 241 on August 17, 2019 and won a Fight of the Night award. In his last fight, he challenged Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight championship and lost via TKO in the second round at UFC 253 on September 26, 2020.

Born: April 21, 1991

Age: 30

Country: Brazil

Height: 6’0″

Weight: 185 lbs

Reach: 72″

Stance: Orthodox

Association: Team Borracha

Class: Middleweight

Record: 13-1

Method of Victory

11 wins by KO/TKO

1 win by Submission

1 win by Decision

Significant Strikes

8.43 Landed

6.84 Absorbed

Takedowns

0% Accuracy

80% Defended

Born and raised in Trento, Italy, Marvin Vettori found martial arts as a teenager as he watched the UFC on cable television. He was determined to make it in MMA, so he went to around five gyms to learn the skills needed to thrive in the sport. Vettori eventually settled in Huntington Beach, California and his hard work, toughness and skill are unmatched.

His 7-3-1 record in under four years with the UFC suggests that he might be a bit overlooked. After all, he suffered a very close split decision loss against Israel Adesanya at UFC on FOX 29 on April 14, 2018 and followed it up with five straight wins. Vettori’s last win came against Kevin Holland via unanimous decision at UFC on ABC 2 on April 10. He then challenged Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight championship and lost a unanimous decision at UFC 263 on June 12.

Born: September 20, 1993

Age: 28

Country: Italy

Height: 6’0″

Weight: 185 lbs

Reach: 74″

Stance: Southpaw

Association: Kings MMA

Class: Middleweight

Record: 17-5-1

Method of Victory

2 wins by KO/TKO