Paulo Costa Stunned Yoel Romero to Win the Biggest Fight of His Career So Far… He Beat the Soldier of God by Unanimous Decision After an Epic War…
This was an insane fight. It was one of those very decisions that you actually wished went another couple of rounds, but then again our hearts might not have been able to take it. A battle between two ludicrously chiselled men, Paulo Costa took on the highest-ranked opponent of his career, Yoel Romero.
Romero, as we all know, is a phenomenal athlete. His body does not make sense, but there’s definitely the sense that at the age of 42, he’s finally starting to slow down. And that’s what happened at UFC 241 in Anaheim, California, as the pace of Costa was just enough to get past the Soldier of God.
Costa can now consider himself a genuine title contender, after adding Romero’s name to his list of victims. Nobody will be wanting to fight the Brazilian, who has ferocious power and looks to have improved his cardio too. A scary guy.
This fight is everything!#UFCf241 pic.twitter.com/BELkKIViCC
— UFC (@ufc) August 18, 2019
Damage
Romero is notorious for starting slowly and giving rounds away before getting into his groove. That’s what cost him in his rematch with middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. But this time, as it was a three-round fight, he started fast right away. The Cuban smashed out a couple of punches before attempting a takedown.
That’s when the massive Costa dropped Romero. Oh, and then Romero dropped Costa. They smiled at each other like a pair of wild, freakishly muscled dogs. ‘The Soldier of God’ showed off his extraordinary dynamism by landing a flying knee and then exploding with more punches. There was finally a break to the action when Costa smashed Romero in the cup. Realistically, all our hearts needed that.
That was only ONE. ROUND.#UFC241 pic.twitter.com/dooUv7j274
— UFC (@ufc) August 18, 2019
Relentless
Costa pushed the pace at the start of the second round. He likes to get a fast knockout and it showed because he backed Romero up against the fence and started unleashing punches. Most didn’t connect, but Romero was definitely in danger and falling behind on the scorecards. As Costa began to tire, Romero took advantage, taking him down at the end of the round.
The Brazilian fighter never stopped pushing the pace. He was striking with venom, putting Romero on the back foot as we’ve hardly seen in his career – but he is in his forties now it has to be remembered. Romero poked him in the eye, giving both men a much-needed gasp of breath.
IT'S CHAOS JUST LIKE WE THOUGHT!#UFC241 pic.twitter.com/4q8gtD2Y8u
— UFC (@ufc) August 18, 2019
Savage Fight
But it was advantage Costa, who was throwing the cleanest stikes. You couldn’t count Romero out though as he began to push back, landing hard uppercuts as Costa slowed down again. Then there was a hard head kick and finally, Romero took him down again, but Costa got back to his feet. This was an epic fight.
Costa will be watching the upcoming title fight between Robert Whittaker and interim champion Israel Adesanya with interest. He’s definitely got to be in the title frame now after beating the man who many believed actually defeated ‘The Reaper’ last time out. Middleweight is getting good again.
