No. 6 in the UFC middleweight rankings, Brazilian Paulo Costa, who dropped out of his fight with Khamzat Chimaev because of a staph infection of his elbow, has named a timeline for his return to the octagon.
Recall, Costa and Chimaev were scheduled to meet on October 21 at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. The new opponent of the Chechen fighter is Nigerian Kamaru Usman.
Costa wrote on social media:
Abu Dhabi card still amazing I'm no happy but that's it . I will be back before end 2023.
Chimaev, 29, had his last fight in September 2022 at UFC 279, defeating Kevin Holland by submission (D'arce choke) in the first round. He has 12 wins and no losses on his record.
Usman, 36, last stepped into the octagon in March 2023 at UFC 286, losing to Leon Edwards by majority decision. He has 20 wins and three losses on his record.