Kenny Florian thinks the UFC’s light heavyweight division needs life.
Magomed Ankalaev (21-2-1 MMA, 12-2-1 UFC) cemented himself as a No. 1 contender when he finished Bogdan Guskov (18-3-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC) by Round 5 TKO in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 282 main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
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Although he was dominant, Ankalaev’s performance drew criticism for being lackluster from the likes of Paulo Costa (16-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC). Florian agrees with Costa, and thinks the Brazilian should leapfrog Ankalaev for a title shot.
“I would go with Paulo Costa,” Florian said on his “Anik & Florian” podcast. “This is exactly what the division needs. They need a name, they need excitement. I don’t care about this division, I really don’t. I want to, but I don’t. And I need someone like a Paulo Costa who looks the part, who plays the part, who is hilarious on social media. But when he fights, he goes out there and looks for the knockout, and everything he throws looks spectacular.
“So, he’s a tremendous athlete, he knows how to excite the crowd, and when he’s on his game, he is going to be tough to beat. I think he can steal that spot. Yes, I think Ankalaev probably deserves it based on what he has done, but we know that this is a business and the UFC is looking for guys that are going to go out there and put on a show, and Costa is that guy.”
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Costa has just one win as a light heavyweight, which came in his most recent outing at UFC 327, where he finished Azamat Murzakanov by third-round head kick.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Kenny Florian: Paulo Costa exactly what the light heavyweight division needs
