Costa’s thunderous finish

Paulo Costa stopped Azamat Murzakanov with a head kick at 1:23 of the third round on April 11, handing Murzakanov his first loss at UFC 327 in Miami. (mmajunkie.usatoday.com) The fight was the co-main event at Kaseya Center and Costa’s first official Ultimate Fighting Championship bout at light heavyweight, the 205-pound division. Murzakanov entered at 16-0 and left 16-1. (tapology.com) Costa, a former middleweight title challenger from Brazil, improved to 16-4 in mixed martial arts and 8-4 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship with the win. Murzakanov’s Ultimate Fighting Championship record fell to 6-1. (mmajunkie.usatoday.com) The result moved Costa deeper into a division that has changed around him since his last title shot at 185 pounds in September 2020, when Israel Adesanya stopped him at UFC 253. Costa had gone 1-3 in his next four fights before beating Roman Kopylov in July 2025. (espn.com) Moving up also meant less weight cutting for Costa, who was listed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at 205 pounds for the Kopylov fight and again for Murzakanov. The promotion now lists him in the light heavyweight division on its roster page. (ufc.com) Murzakanov came in as an unbeaten contender with knockout power and a top-10 ranking in the division, plus a statistical profile that showed 56 percent striking accuracy and 88 percent takedown defense. He was also giving up three inches in height and about half an inch in reach to Costa. (ufcstats.com) The finish spread quickly through fight media and social clips because it ended a matchup many fans expected Murzakanov to control. Tapology’s community picks had Murzakanov favored by a wide margin before the opening bell. (tapology.com) For Costa, the knockout did more than add a win. It gave him a clean result in a new weight class, against an unbeaten opponent, with a finish that put the division on notice in one kick. (cbssports.com)