Paulo Costa set to headline Fight Night card against Marvin Vettori in October

Paulo Costa will make his return to the Octagon in October.

Costa was supposed to fight Jared Cannonier in August but he withdrew from the fight due to undisclosed reasons. Since then, he has been taking shots at Marvin Vettori and according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the two have agreed to headline a Fight Night card on October 23. There is no location listed, but it’s likely it will take place at the UFC Apex.

This is a big fight for the middleweight division as both Costa and Vettori are coming off losses to Israel Adesanya for the belt. It’s unlikely the winner will get a title shot, but they will remain a top-five middleweight and look to start a winning streak.

Paulo Costa (13-1) has not fought since he suffered a TKO loss to Adesanya back at UFC 253 last September. The Brazilian was 5-0 in the UFC before getting the title shot. Before getting the title shot, he picked up the biggest win of his career as he scored a decision win over Yoel Romero. He also holds TKO wins over Uriah Hall, Johny Hendricks, Oluwale Bamgbose, and Garreth McLellan. Costa is currently ranked second at middleweight.

Marvin Vettori (17-5-1) is coming off a decision loss to Adesanya at UFC 263 in June in his first UFC title shot. Prior to getting the title shot, he was on a five-fight winning streak where he picked up notable wins over Jack Hermansson, Kevin Holland, and Karl Roberson. If the Italian can beat Costa it would arguably be the biggest win of his career. Vettori is currently ranked fourth at middleweight.

With the addition of Costa vs. Vettori, the October 23 card is now as follows:

• Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori
• Livinha Souza vs. Randa Markos
• Jeff Molina vs. Daniel Lacerda
• Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Joselyne Edwards

Who do you think will win, Paulo Costa or Marvin Vettori?