Paulo Costa’s big KO
Paulo Costa delivered a massive third‑round knockout against the previously undefeated Murzakanov, improving his record to 16‑4 and drawing praise as a standout performance for the lighter middleweight ( ). Social reaction framed the finish as a return-to-form highlight and a performance likely to influence Costa’s next matchmaking and rankings (x.com).
Paulo Costa stopped Azamat Murzakanov with a third-round head kick technical knockout on April 11 at UFC 327 in Miami. (mmajunkie.usatoday.com) The finish came at 1:23 of Round 3 in the co-main event at Kaseya Center, after Murzakanov entered the fight at 16-0 and 6-0 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Costa’s record moved to 16-4 overall and 8-4 in the promotion. (sports.yahoo.com) Costa landed the high kick after two rounds of pressure and follow-up offense forced referee Keith Peterson to stop the fight. Tapology listed the result as knockout or technical knockout by head kick in the third round. (sports.yahoo.com, tapology.com) The result reshaped Costa’s move to light heavyweight, the 205-pound division he joined after spending most of his Ultimate Fighting Championship run at middleweight, the 185-pound class. Ultimate Fighting Championship listings now place him in the light heavyweight division. (cagesidepress.com, ufc.com) It also changed the rankings picture around Murzakanov, who was No. 6 at light heavyweight before the bout. Updated rankings published April 14 placed Costa at No. 7 in the division after the win. (agentmma.com) Costa had entered the fight off a win over Roman Kopylov on July 19, 2025, according to his Ultimate Fighting Championship athlete page. Before that, his recent run had included losses to Robert Whittaker in February 2024 and Sean Strickland in June 2022. (ufc.com) Murzakanov came in as one of the division’s unbeaten risers, and the bout matched his pressure style against Costa’s power striking. Cageside Press described Murzakanov before the fight as an undefeated contender nearing the elite tier at 205 pounds. (cagesidepress.com) The knockout gave Costa his first stoppage win in years and his clearest result since moving up in weight. By April 14, his official Ultimate Fighting Championship profile still showed the Murzakanov bout as upcoming, but multiple fight reports and bout trackers recorded the April 11 stoppage in Miami. (ufc.com, mmajunkie.usatoday.com, tapology.com)
