Yoel Romero vs. Paulo Costa Announced for UFC 230 at Madison Square Garden

A matchup between Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa has been officially set for UFC 230 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 3, according to Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com.

Romero (13-3) is currently the No. 1 contender in the middleweight division, but No. 8 contender Costa comes into the matchup with a perfect 12-0 record.

Romero's ascent to top-contender status has been an interesting one over the past two years. At UFC 205, he defeated Chris Weidman, but lost his shot at the interim middleweight title at UFC 213, losing to Robert Whittaker. Romero would have claimed that title at UFC 221 after defeating Luke Rockhold, but he missed weight.

He had another title shot at UFC 225 but was deemed ineligible for the title after missing weight a second time. That ended up being a moot point, as Whittaker defeated him for a second straight matchup. 

Costa, meanwhile, has won all 12 of his professional matches by stoppage and all four of his UFC bouts by TKO. None of his UFC matchups have even reached the second round. A victory over Romero would absolutely continue Costa's ascent up the middleweight rankings, and another knockout would make him one of the most feared fighters of the division.

For fans of the middleweights, UFC 230 will be a treat, with two other enticing matchups on the card: Rockhold faces Weidman in a rematch of UFC 224, won by Rockhold, while David Branch will take on Ronaldo Souza.