Both middleweight contenders were intent on securing a title shot with a victory, and they put everything on the line in a wild back-and-forth encounter that saw Costa prevail by unanimous decision on Aug. 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for the undefeated Costa.
Round 1 set the tone. Romero went for a takedown, but his opponent managed to pop right back to his feet. “The Soldier of God” then unleashed a devastating right hand that dropped Costa, but the Brazilian again returned to an upright position and did so with a laugh. After a strong start from Romero, “Borrachinha” rebounded and the two 185-pound brutes delivered give-and-take action that saw Costa work over Romero’s body while the Cuban wrestler hunted a knockout. Romero appeared to be closing in on a finish a few times, as he cracked his counterpart with a thudding left hand and connected with a flying knee. An errant kick may have saved Costa, a low blow to Romero resulting in a pause to the action for several minutes. Once the fight was restarted, Costa looked like the fresher man and managed to gain a clear advantage during the round. He pushed Romero to the ground, landed some brutal strikes and continued to pepper the body while the 2000 Olympic silver medalist sought a fight-ending shot. Sherdog’s 2019 “Round of the Year” concluded with Costa attempting a spinning wheel kick—a perfect way to cap off a crazy five minutes of chaos.
The rest of the bout was just as chaotic, albeit at a slower pace. Fatigue took its toll on the two muscular middleweights, but Costa emerged with a unanimous verdict over the American Top Team standout. While the Brazilian was installed as the No. 1 contender for Israel Adesanya’s 185-pound crown, he has since suffered a biceps injury that could result in Romero receiving a title shot first.
In the race for “Round of the Year” honors, Costa-Romero R1 beat out the third round of Bryan Barberena-Vicente Luque at UFC on ESPN 1, the second round of Yair Rodriguez-Jeremy Stephens at UFC on ESPN 6, the first round of Pedro Munhoz-Cody Garbrandt at UFC 235 and the third round of Brad Riddell-Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 243.