“I’m not pulling out”- Paulo Costa shuts down doubters and claims about him being unavailable for his fight against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294

Paulo Costa isn't backing out of the Khamzat Chimaev fight despite all the drama taking place over UFC 294.

 “I’m not pulling out”- Paulo Costa shuts down doubters and claims about him being unavailable for his fight against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294

Khamzat Chimaev vs Paulo Costa (Image Courtesy: IMAGO)

UFC 294 was highly anticipated and had been in the works for many months. It featured Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira and Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev in the beginning. However, things have taken an unexpected turn just two weeks before the event. Injuries have thrown a wrench into the UFC’s carefully crafted plans, particularly affecting the main and co-main events.

On Tuesday, Dana White revealed Charles Oliveira’s injury during training. “Do Bronx” had to pull out of his lightweight title fight against Makhachev. Fortunately, Alexander Volkanovski has stepped up to take his place. This means fans are getting a champion-versus-champion rematch, as they previously faced off at UFC 284.

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White also revealed that the UFC is searching for a replacement for Paulo Costa. This resulted in many fans assuming that Paulo Costa might abandon the fight. Costa recently disclosed the elbow surgery he had five weeks before the fight. However, it seems like the Brazilian has no such plans. In a recent tweet, the fighter wrote, “I’m not pulling out this fight anyway, let me fight the f*** gourmet Chen Chen. IAM here in ABUDHABI ALready n prepared mtfks.”

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https://twitter.com/BorrachinhaMMA/status/1712097014068990177?t=2fvvc7iOymuwM1BsLVt6zA&s=19

Costa explained that he’s not going to withdraw his name and plans to destroy Khamzat Chimaev in Abu Dhabi. In the pictures shared by ‘Borrachinha’, his injury looked serious but maybe Costa’s secret juice is the real reason for his recovery and confidence ahead of the fight.

Related: Paulo Costa to bring Bible after Khamzat Chimaev’s ‘muslim brothers’ remark into the octagon at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi

Paulo Costa reveals UFC knew about his surgery from day one

Paulo Costa has shared an update about his surgery three weeks before his scheduled fight with Chimaev at UFC 294. Some fans are speculating that he might have kept this injury hidden from the promotion and is now rushing into the fight without allowing for proper recovery.

Paulo Costa reveals having surgery weeks before Khamzat CHimaev fight
Paulo Costa reveals having surgery weeks before Khamzat Chimaev fight (image via IMAGO)

During a conversation with fans on social media, one fan pointed out to Costa that when a fighter publicly discloses an injury, as he did, it can trigger the involvement of the athletic commission, which might ultimately lead to the fight being canceled or stopped.

While replying to the individual, Costa shared that he didn’t come out of the blue about his injury; instead, the UFC knew about it all along and still didn’t reschedule the fight. Costa’s statement revealed that the entire UFC staff knew it from day one. According to the fighter, once a fighter is admitted to the hospital, they need to inform USADA, and everyone is aware of everything about the fighter.

Nevertheless, Costa is confident about his situation and is extremely eager to fight Chimaev. The rivalry between Chimaev and Costa goes back a year and given the bad blood between them, fight fans are extremely excited about the fight.

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