Paulo Costa and Azamat Murzakanov meet in the UFC 327 co-feature Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.

• Last event's results: 6-0
• UFC main cards, 2026: 29-16

Paulo Costa vs. Azamat Murzakanov UFC 327 preview

Costa (15-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) returned to the win column last July with a unanimous decision over Roman Kopylov. That result got "The Eraser" back on track after back-to-back losses to former champs Robert Whittaker and Sean Strickland. Since his shot at the title against Israel Adesanya in 2020, Costa has gone 2-3.

Murzakanov (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) aims to keep his professional record unblemished by defeating a former title challenger. Through six UFC appearances, Murzakanov has finished five opponents: Tafon Nchukwi, Devin Clark, Alonzo Menifield, Brendson Ribeiro and Aleksandar Rakic.

Paulo Costa vs. Azamat Murzakanov UFC 327 expert pick, prediction

The co-main event for UFC 327 features a meeting at 205 pounds between Azamat Murzakanov and Paulo Costa.

Despite primarily making his name at middleweight, Costa has decided to officially dip his toes in the light heavyweight division.

Costa has traditionally done well when facing southpaws, officially standing at 6-1 opposite UFC-level lefties in the octagon. That said, Murzakanov brings a level of speed, power and striking savvy that Costa might not be used to.

Don't let the fact that Murzakanov looks like David Harbour on a bender fool you; the man is an undefeated fighter with the nickname "The Professional" for a reason (like me, he's likely a huge fan of the film "LEON").

But seriously, even though Costa has more than enough skills to keep this competitive and/or get a win, his notorious inconsistency keeps me away from being confident in his chances.

This fight goes to decision more times than not, but I'll take a flyer on Murzakanov to get a somewhat surprising stoppage in Round 2.

Paulo Costa vs. Azamat Murzakanov UFC 327 odds

The oddsmakers and the public favor the Russian fighter, listing Murzakanov -210 and Costa +168 via FanDuel.

Paulo Costa vs. Azamat Murzakanov UFC 327 start time, how to watch

As the co-main event, Costa and Murzakanov are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 10:40 p.m. ET. The fight streams live on Paramount+.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 327: Paulo Costa vs. Azamat Murzakanov prediction, pick, time