Costa, 28, steps into the spotlight in this edition of The Film Room.
Costa’s entire game relies on his being the aggressor and overwhelming opponents with power and constant pressure. He is still rather inexperienced and lacks the technical ability most Top 10 fighters possess, but when you have his kind of athleticism and knockout power, you do not need to be a technical genius. So far, simple combos and the threat of his power has been enough to back opponents to the cage, where he can unload with vicious volleys to the head and body. He needs to work on his cage-cutting ability, as he often follows opponents and swings wild, which allows them to circle away from his pressure. If he can learn to tone down the aggression and use his footwork to trap opponents against the fence, we could be looking at the 185-pound version of prime Rafael dos Anjos, minus the world-class grappling.
Once he has an opponent trapped against the fence, Costa will unload with punches to the head and body. The power and speed he can get behind these punches is truly something special, and thus far, all but one of his 12 opponents have wound up getting knocked out. Why the dos Anjos comparison? Because of the way Costa will leap in with a head-body burst and then reset at range to regain his composure before going right back to his vicious combos. He has yet to fight an elite counterstriker who can make him pay for this constant pressure, and it will be interesting to see if Romero can keep calm in moments of madness and look for counters.
Costa will occasionally clinch against the cage, where he will look for knees to the body and elbows over the top of the opponent’s guard. It would be beneficial to see him in the clinch more since it gives the opponent less room to circle off the cage, but that does not seem to be the ideal route against a world-class wrestler like Romero.
The former Jungle Fight champion has recently incorporated more kicks into his striking, especially to the body. He usually throws them as single strikes with no setup, but he can get the same incredible speed and power behind them as he does his punches. It would be nice to see him start and finish combos with a quick kick to the body at some point, but because of the threat of a takedown, he does not figure to kick much against Romero.
Costa does not get the opportunity to counter much, but he can be effective when the opponent is desperate to get off the cage. When his opponents come forward, Costa has an excellent counter lead hook from an orthodox stance; and flustered and desperate opponents generally come forward more recklessly than usual, which makes it easier to land.
Costa is far from a perfect striker, and his defense has been exploited a few times in his short UFC career. Like most pressure fighters, he struggles with his defense when backing up and tends to drop his hands. His aggression also gets him caught in exchanges in the pocket, where he usually gets the better of the opponent. Nevertheless, it is still a dangerous way to fight.