Paulo Costa took to X to make the announcement that every UFC fan was waiting for. Earlier, on Tuesday, UFC CEO Dana White claimed that Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 could get scrapped because of Costa’s injury. Fans were put into a state of confusion by this. They were hoping for some clarity in the coming hours and Borrachinha has provided it.
The Brazilian fighter claimed that he had reached Abu Dhabi weeks in advance and was not planning on going back without a fight. Even with his elbow injury not completely healed, Costa is set to take part in the highly anticipated Middleweight bout against Chimaev.
He wrote on X, “Im not pulling out this fight anyway , let me fight the f*ck gourmet Chen Chen. IAM here in ABUDHABI ALready n prepared mtfks !”
Im not pulling out this fight anyway , let me fight the fuck gourmet Chen Chen . IAM here in ABUDHABI ALready n prepared mtfks !🧬🧃
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) October 11, 2023
For context, Costa vs. Chimaev at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi was announced weeks ago. The Brazilian fighter recently revealed that he had a small procedure done in Brazil before traveling to Abu Dhabi. However, after starting training in Abu Dhabi, his injury aggravated. He had to get a surgical procedure done for an infection in his elbow just five weeks before the fight.
Costa was upbeat in his recent interviews. He assured fans that he had taken the correct precautions and was ready to defeat Chimaev. However, after he posted the graphic images of his elbow, fans remained unconvinced.
Dana White says Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev could be off.#UFC294 pic.twitter.com/EC4QOxXVIv
— Combat Sports Today 📰 (@CSTodayNews) October 11, 2023
Dana White announced that there was a probability of Costa vs. Chimaev being scrapped. He also said that UFC is looking for a replacement. However, Costa’s latest announcement is another twist in the tale.
Paulo Costa wanted to hide his injury from UFC in order to face Khamzat Chimaev
In his recent interview, Costa opened up about the fact that he wanted to hide his injury from UFC. He has had to pull out of multiple fights in the past few years because of vivid reasons. However, he claimed that this was a fight he did not want to miss.
Paulo Costa tried to hide his elbow surgery from the UFC ahead of #UFC294 via The MMA Hour
🗣️ “I even asked [the doctor] to not let the UFC know, but it was not possible so they report everything to the UFC.” h/t @UFCKnockout
Will he fight or not? #MMA #UFC #MMATwitter
— Mat 🥊 (@fightfanatical) October 10, 2023
Costa told Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour, “I even asked [the doctor] to not let the UFC know, but it was not possible so they report everything to the UFC. And I say thank you to the UFC for keeping me in this fight.”
Even though Dana White might have to eat his words after this, he might be happy with the fact that the fight can go on. The main event of UFC 294 has already undergone a change. Charles Oliviera had to back out due to an injury. Instead, Alexander Volkanovski will now take on Islam Makhachev for the UFC Lightweight title.