If Costa gets careless and manages to reopen the wound during fight week, he may not get cleared to compete.
UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa, currently ranked No. 6 at 185 pounds, will try to blast his way back into the division title chase when he collides with undefeated wrestling phenom Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 294 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event on Sat., Oct. 21, 2023 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
But will “The Eraser” be competing at full health?
The 32 year-old Brazilian raised more than a few eyebrows when he posted photos of his recent elbow surgery, though Costa failed to disclose the exact nature of his illness or injury. Retired UFC welterweight Alan Jouban, however, suspects bursitis because his arm sports the “same scar” as the one displayed in these pics.
“Did Costa say what that surgery was from? Because it looks like bursitis where they removed it,” Jouban wrote on Twitter. “I’ve got the same scar. And I tried coming back too soon and opened the whole thing up and had to have it re-stitched three weeks later.”
Costa had the surgery five weeks before fight night.
“Three weeks [after surgery] I sparred with elbow pads on and elbowed someone in the head,” Jouban continued. “My scar reopened and had to get it restitched again. Going to be tough for him to train even if it heals by fight day.”
The Brazilian assured his supporters it was much ado about nothing but that hasn’t stopped Costa fans from panicking on social media. Mostly because Chimaev is an aggressive fighter who will no doubt force “The Eraser” to engage on all fronts, putting the compromised elbow — and Costa’s ability to win — in considerable jeopardy.
We’ll find out in less than two weeks.