Paulo Costa is a huge favorite over Uriah Hall at UFC 226 on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada. This event is one of four on the FS1 portion of the preliminary card. Hall is 13-8 in his career, while Costa is 11-0 in his career. There are a total of four fights on the main pay-per-view card, with the headliner a bout between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier. There are also a total of seven fights on the preliminary card with four of those fights on FS1 and three on UFC Fight Pass. Let’s look at the bout between Hall and Costa and UFC picks.
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Uriah Hall (13-8, 6-6 UFC)
Hall came into the UFC with a record of 7-2 and he has six wins and six losses in the UFC. In his last four fights, he has one win and three losses. He defeated Krzysztof Jotko by KO, while losing to Robert Whittaker by unanimous decision, Derek Brunson by TKO, and Gegard Mousasi by TKO. Hall has been a pro since 2005 and has nine wins by TKO/KO and two by submission. He has six first round finishes.
Paulo Costa (11-0, 3-0 UFC)
Costa is undefeated in his career and he has fought three times in the UFC. He defeated Garreth McLellan by TKO, Oluwale Bamgbose by KO, and Johny Hendricks by TKO. Costa has been a pro since 2012 and has 10 wins by TKO/KO and one by submission. He has nine first round finishes.
Costa said this to bloodyelbow.com about his upcoming fight with Hall, “I’m completely focused on my next fight, I’m not thinking about what comes afterwards and all I think about is knocking him out quickly. I believe I can knock out pretty much anybody in the division. I don’t think there’s a single striker who can stop me in this weight class. Hall and I are very alike, but I think I’m more powerful and explosive than he is. He’s a bit more patient, but apart from that, we’re both strikers.”
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Hall 3.13 / Costa 8.28
Accuracy: Hall 53% / Costa 56%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Hall 3.16/ Costa 4.79
Defense: Hall 54% / Costa 49%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Hall 1.00 / Costa 0.00
Accuracy: Hall 41% / Costa 0%
Takedowns defended: Hall 71% / Costa 80%
Submission average: Hall 0.3 / Costa 0.0
UFC Picks
Oddmakers have Costa listed as a -465 favorite in this fight, which might be too high considering he has only fought three times in the UFC. The problem with taking Hall is that he has just one win in his last four fights. Looking a little bit closer though, we see that the three losses were against quality opponents in Whittaker, Brunson and Mousasi. I think there is some value in taking Hall at this big price, as Costa even said that he and Hall are very much alike. I also think the rounds are worth playing under the total, as the two fighters have combined for 15 first round finishes.
UFC 226 takes place on Saturday, July 7, 2018 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are four fights on the main-per-view card, featuring Stipe Miocic taking on Daniel Cormier. There are seven fights on the preliminary card with four on FS1 and three on UFC Fight Pass.
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Heavyweight – Stipe Miocic -255 vs. Daniel Cormier
Heavyweight – Francis Ngannou -365 vs. Derrick Lewis
Lightweight – Michael Chiesa -160 vs. Anthony Pettis
Light Heavyweight –Gökhan Saki -130 vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
Preliminary Card (FS1)
Middleweight – Paulo Costa -465 vs. Uriah Hall
Welterweight – Paul Felder -156 vs. Mike Perry
Bantamweight –Raphael Assunção -180 vs. Rob Font
Welterweight – Curtis Millender -170 vs. Max Griffin
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Lightweight – Dan Hooker -125 vs. Gilbert Burns
Lightweight - Lando Vannata -175 vs. Drakkar Klose
Women’s Strawweight – Jamie Moyle -200 vs. Emily Whitmire
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