After Disappointing Khamzat Chimaev and Giving Dana White a Dreadful Scare, Paulo Costa Provides a Massive Injury Update

The curse of match cancellation has haunted the alleyways of UFC once again with both the main and co-main events of UFC 294  jeopardized. What was supposed to be a Russo-Brazilian matchup turned into random picks due to injuries. Paulo Costa and Charles Oliveria withdrew from their fights against Khamzat Chimaev and Islam Makhachev. Costa was more of denied than having pulled out due to his elbow injury turning critical.

‘Borrachinha’ was very much into the fight, even having landed 1 month before the match to train and adapt to the surrounding environment. However, an elbow injury and immediate surgery forced the Brazilian sensation to let go of his opportunity to face Chimaev.

Paulo Costa thanks Dana White and Co. for their support

Paulo Costa’s clash with Khamzat Chimaev was highly anticipated by the combat community. The prelude to this contest commenced in 2022 when Costa proffered a challenge to Chimaev, only to be met with indifference. Their match was expected to gather as much fame as Conor McGregor’s fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, as both fighters were set to return to action after a year-long break.

However, fate had other plans, and ‘the eraser’ sustained a minor elbow injury which had to be treated immediately through surgery. Despite his condition, Costa claimed that he would fight Chimaev, and the fight was not canceled. This gave fans a sigh of relief but for how long?

Things went downhill when Costa’s elbow injury turned into a staph infection which required immediate medical attention, ‘Borrachina’ had to undergo another surgery. This second surgery was the point when the fight was done and dusted away with.

Recently Costa thanked Dana White and Co for their constant support to the Brazilian star. He took to his X(Formerly Twitter) handle to provide an update on his injury. He tweeted “ Surgery today was very well successful. Thanks, @ufc for all your support”. However, this is not the first time for Costa to pull out of an impending clash.

Costa’s history of pulling out of matches

Paulo Costa has demonstrated a recurring tendency to withdraw from pivotal confrontations. He has been notorious for being beset by ailments preceding his scheduled duels. Throughout his UFC tenure, he has withdrawn his participation in no fewer than four engagements, citing a vast array of rationales, including physical infirmities, inquiries conducted by USADA, and afflictions of an infective nature.

Read more: Paulo Costa’s Relationships: All About His Girlfriend Tamara Alvez and Tracy Cortez Rumors

Before the Chimaev matchup, Costa had withdrawn from his fight against Yoel Romero twice and Israel Adesanya once. With Paulo Costa’s clash with Khamzat Chimaev being delayed, what do you think will be the timeline for their next match? Do tell us in the comments below.

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