Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov Rescheduled for UFC 318 Following Costa’s Illness

A high-stakes middleweight bout between Paulo Costa and Roman Kopylov has been officially rescheduled, with the matchup now set to take place at UFC 318 on July 19 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Originally booked for UFC 317 in Las Vegas, the fight was pulled due to an illness that forced Costa out just days before the event.

The UFC confirmed the update on Monday, making the change official as Costa looks to regain form amid a rough patch in his career.

Costa, once an undefeated rising force in the middleweight division, has struggled since earning a title shot in 2020. After starting his professional MMA career 13-0, the Brazilian slugger has gone just 1-4 in his last five appearances. His lone win during that stretch came via unanimous decision over Luke Rockhold in 2022. Most recently, Costa returned to the Octagon in June 2024, where he lost a close split decision to former champion Sean Strickland.

Meanwhile, Roman Kopylov enters the rescheduled clash with momentum on his side. The Russian striker has gone 6-1 in his last seven fights and is currently riding a two-fight win streak. Kopylov's most recent victory was an emphatic TKO over Chris Curtis in January—one that further bolstered his rising stock in the division.

With the change, UFC 317 will still feature a stacked lineup, including Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira and Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France. However, the Costa-Kopylov matchup will now add firepower to the UFC 318 card next month, raising the stakes in the ever-competitive middleweight division. Updated UFC 317 fight card

• Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira

• Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France

• Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van

• Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano

• Felipe Lima vs. Payton Talbott

• Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodrigues

• Hyder Amil vs. Jose Delgado

• Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez

• Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Terrance McKinney

• Sedriques Dumas vs. Jackson McVey

• Jhonata Diniz vs. Alvin Hines

• Niko Price vs. Jacobe Smith