Reports of fights targeted for the card have started to emerge in the last week or so<\/a>, and a bout between middleweights Costa and Magomedov (first reported by Laerte Viana<\/a>) is easily the highest-profile matchup lined up for the event so far. <\/p>\n Currently the UFC\u2019s #13-ranked middleweight, Costa brought a perfect 13-0 record into a title shot against Israel Adesanya in 2020 but was stopped by the champion in the second round. <\/p>\n READ MORE: Bo Nickal returns after first MMA loss for dangerous next fight at UFC 322<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe Eraser\u201d has only stepped into the Octagon five times since losing to Adesanya at UFC 253 and has gone 2-3 during that span, although his unique personality and activity on social media have still helped make the Brazilian one of the more recognizable stars in the UFC middleweight division. <\/p>\n Paulo Costa (red gloves) fights against Roman Kopylov (blue gloves) during UFC 318 at Smoothie King Center. \/ Stephen Lew-Imagn Images<\/p>\n The 34-year-old competed twice in the same calendar year for the first time since 2017 last year and dropped a pair of decisions to former middleweight titleholders Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker, but at UFC 318 he scored a minor upset<\/a> when he defeated Roman Kopylov in the card\u2019s co-main event. <\/p>\n Costa arrived in the UFC as a knockout machine with a high-pressure style but has tempered that approach somewhat in his recent fights. The Brazilian might consider a return to that style for his next outing, as he\u2019ll be facing a dangerous striker that prefers to do most of his work from kicking range. <\/p>\n Magomedov also joined the UFC with an undefeated record in 2023 and went 4-0 to start his career in the Octagon. The 31-year-old collected three-straight \u201cPerformance of the Night\u201d bonuses after defeating Bruno Silva in his promotional debut, and it was an incredible spinning back fist knockout<\/a> against Armen Petrosyan at UFC 308 that really solidified him as a potential star. <\/p>\n Magomedov scored a Knockout of the Year-contender at UFC 303. \/ (Craig Kidwell\/MMA Junkie<\/p>\n \u201cBullet\u201d suffered his first loss and had that considerable momentum halted when he dropped a decision to Michael \u201cVenom\u201d Page in a UFC Fight Night co-main event in Februrary, but Magomedov returned to the win column over the summer by defeating Marc-Andre Barriault in a bout that took home \u201cFight of the Night\u201d honors at UFC Abu Dhabi. <\/p>\n READ MORE: Deontay Wilder wants most feared puncher in UFC history for mega boxing clash<\/a><\/p>\n Costa vs. Magomedov would serve as a strong co-main event for the UFC\u2019s first visit to Qatar, and right now there are currently three fights that have been reported for the event on November 22. <\/p>\n \u2022\tCo-Main Event: Paulo Costa vs. Shara Magomedov<\/p>\n \u2022\tAlex Perez vs. Asu Almabayev<\/p>\n \u2022\tAbdul Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Raffael Cerqueira<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0UFC calls in 21-year-old fighter on less than two weeks’ notice for Noche UFC debut<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Ilia Topuria\u2019s brother reportedly set for UFC fight with dangerous KO artist<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0UFC GOAT receives massive $10 million payout from UFC antitrust lawsuit settlement<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0UFC reportedly signs decorated MMA champion for short-notice debut fight at UFC Paris<\/a><\/p>\n Stick with\u00a0MMAKnockout<\/a>\u00a0for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.<\/p>\n Follow MMAKnockout on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n