WATCH: Paulo Costa shares emotional childhood story of being HELPLESS in the face of bullying
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Paulo Costa
Paulo “Borrachinha” Costa is a big man. Standing at 6’2, with the muscularity of a Greek god, the striker most definitely can intimidate anyone that chooses to pick on him.
However, this was not always the case. Bullying is an issue rampant in almost every society in the world, and children who face it can either come out stronger, or be completely broken by the end of it.
Despite being a big kid, Paulo Costa was no stranger to the inhumane practice himself. Describing the problems he faced, to Ariel Helwani on the MMA hour, he said, “I had a lot of problems in school, the people didn’t like me. They always had a gang.”
After his description, Ariel asked if he ever got beaten up bad, to which Costa replied, “One time.” Paulo Costa tried to imply that he was helpless in the dire situation, saying that “The problem in the favela is that it is very close, the kids are sons of drug dealers. I did not want to get into a real fight because the next day they (the fathers) might come with guns and a lot of stuff.”
Brazilian favelas are notorious for having the highest death rate as residential units – even higher than that of the US. With 22 to 48 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, favelas are likely the hardest place for children to grow up in.
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“Compare this life to Khamzat’s repetitive ‘I come from mountain, real gangster'” MMA fan comments under post highlighting Paulo Costa’s struggle
Seeing Paulo Costa and Charles Oliveira, the most recent and successful MMA exports from Brazil makes for quite the heartwarming story, given they both escaped the drudgery and treacherous conditions of the Brazilian slums.
Of late, Paulo Costa has become somewhat of a fan favourite himself. He has turned the tide from when he was vehemently hated – he was derided by Israel Adesanya in the octagon and then he missed weight against Marvin Vettori in a frankly ridiculous manner.
Come 2022, Costa’s fortunes have changed. Be it his win over Luke Rockhold or his undisputed funniest MMA Twitter account, he certainly has begun to be adored by the fans. And the comments on social media are a testament to that. One fan wrote, “Gotta love this guy” while another said, “This is like a wholesome therapy session.”
One comment that caught the eye was, “Compare this life to Khamzat’s repetitive ‘I come from mountain, real gangster.’” This comment sheds light on Paulo Costa rallying favour among the fans. Last weekend, before Khamzat Chimaev’s fight against Nate Diaz (and then Kevin Holland), the Swedish fighter tried to intimidate Paulo Costa which hilariously backfired. The comment compares the two’s attitudes.
It is great to see Paulo Costa in great spirits. Can he keep this up and mount another serious title challenge, against Israel Adesanya, or someone else (if Adesanya gets dethroned)?
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