Paulo Costa

no clean pick stated, see review flag

A good striker whose game blends boxing and kicking seamlessly, with pretty shots to the body, a varied kicking attack, and a power lead hook that earned him a nickname; he backs opponents into the fence and unloads there. Durable. A good grappler too: a nasty guillotine, heavy top work on the ground, good takedown defense, a good sprawl, and a refusal to sit on the bottom. The clear theme is inconsistency: his striking tools have not reliably shown up recently, and the analyst explicitly adds an 'inconsistent' label he says did not previously apply, noting his recent record is far from his career-best stretch.

If Costa pulled it off the analyst says he 'wouldn't be mega surprised' -- especially had Costa shown up wanting to fight the way he used to, which he says hasn't happened lately; a real but conceded mechanism, graded lean.

A good striker with good combinations who mixes punches and kicks together and rips the body well, plus a lead hook the analyst still rates. He was once known for huge power, but the analyst explicitly removes that from his read here: Costa hasn't finished anyone that way in a long time. He remains very tough and durable, fighting through fatigue rather than quitting. His grappling includes a dangerous guillotine (helped by his long arms), heavy ground and pound, and takedown defense the analyst says doesn't get enough credit.