Paulo Costa Explains His Fight-Threatening Surgery & His Attempt to Hide it From the UFC

Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev isn't on the rocks... yet.

Paulo Costa's UFC 294 showdown with Khamzat Chimaev is in a precarious position. Costa has had surgery on his elbow for bursitis just five-weeks out from his October 21 appearance.

How strong are u? U never really know until you get tested by fire 🔥 of life.
I did surgery 3 weeks ago , 10 seams size . But I know how tough I’m and continues improving and overcoming myself. It doesn’t stop me, still doing my things sparrings and everything. I’m so blessing… pic.twitter.com/gbClA66K7l

— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) October 9, 2023

Costa's elbow has been noticeably swollen since the operation, and many fans are concerned about his status going into UFC 294.

Former fighter Alan Jouban explained his experience with Bursitis in a post on X, "I tried coming back too soon and opened the whole thing up." Costa confirmed it was bursitis in a reply.

"Borrachinha" tried to clear the air on his UFC 294 status in his October 9 appearance on 'The MMA Hour':

"Yes, definitely yes [I am fighting on October 21]. ...I came to Abu Dhabi four weeks ago. I came here early, to this hostile country. ...I came here to take over.

"...I had this injury, two weeks before I came [to Abu Dhabi], but we are careful and make sure to not get worse. Once I get here and start to train hard, the bad things happened. ...The doctor said 'Paulo, unfortunately it is necessary to open your arm, because it is a big inflammation and an infection that you have.'"

Bursitis is a condition that affects bursae - the small fluid-filled sacs that sit between bones, tendons and muscles as cushioning. It occurs when bursae become inflamed from unhealthy weight gain, not warming up before exercise, and knocking the joints.

Costa showcased his elbow scar, pointing out that he had 10 seams. He explained that the doctors told him to keep the stitches in his elbow for two weeks:

"'You need to stay with the stitches in your elbow for two weeks. So after two weeks we are going to remove them and then two weeks [Costa trains for the fight,]'" Costa explained. "I said 'That's good.' Two weeks is enough to train."

Costa couldn't stress enough that he wants the Chimaev fight more than anything. He even went as far as to try and hide his surgery from the UFC:

"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 after Costa's reassurance, his explanation still raises many questions. Two weeks of training isn't much, especially when facing one of the UFC's most promising prospects in recent memory.

We can only hope that "Borrachinha" makes a full recovery and can deliver his best performance when the time comes. UFC 294 would undoubtedly lose a significant portion of its excitement without this dynamite co-main event.

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