Michael Bisping thinks he knows what has caused Paulo Costa’s career to collapse.
‘Borrachinha’ bulldozed his way to a UFC middleweight title shot by amassing a 13-0 MMA record.
However, Paulo Costa self-sabotaged by drinking a bottle of wine the night before getting knocked out by Israel Adesanya at UFC 253 in September 2020.
Since then, the Brazilian has struggled to bounce back, losing three of his last four Octagon outings.
- READ MORE: Who is Paulo Costa? Meet ‘The Eraser’ looking to bounce back in the UFC Middleweight division
Michael Bisping believes Paulo Costa has a mental block
Michael Bisping has been disappointed to see Paulo Costa‘s UFC career fall apart in recent years.
The former UFC middleweight champion believes it’s a mental issue preventing Costa from fulfilling his potential.
Bisping insists that employing a sports psychologist will help the 34-year-old get things back on track.
“‘Mr. Inconsistent’, Paulo Costa, ‘Borrachinha’, who has kind of turned into a bit of a meme,” the British MMA legend said during his UFC 318 prediction video.
“He’s a very funny guy to follow on social media. Some of the stuff that he posts is absolutely hilarious, but what’s not so funny are the performances inside of the Octagon.
“The reason he is losing is because it seems like a mental block… Paulo Costa is his own worst enemy.
“Athletically, physically, he’s very gifted, but I think he’s lacking a little bit upstairs. I don’t mean that as an insult. I mean, there’s a mental disconnect, [and] a sports psychologist would definitely help him.”
What’s next for Paulo Costa?
Costa will look to return to the win column in the UFC 318 co-main event on Saturday night.
Just before Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway 3 goes down, Costa will square off against rising middleweight star Roman Kopylov at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
A win would catapult Costa back into the title mix, while another defeat could get him cut by the UFC.
The latter is most likely if Bisping’s prediction for this weekend’s co-headliner comes true.
“I’m not sure if [Kopylov] knocks out Paulo Costa,” the UFC Hall of Famer concluded.
“But I’m very confident he gets the job done.”