It’s been a tumultuous 24 hours for UFC 294
Less than two weeks away, the promotion’s highly anticipated return to Abu Dhabi took two massive hits in the span of a few short hours. First, UFC CEO Dana White revealed that Charles Oliveira is officially out of his massive main event rematch with Islam Makhachev after sustaining a nasty gash above his right eye during a sparring session.
White went on to reveal that a replacement has already been found in reigning featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski, who will step in on 11 days’ notice and run back his Fight of the Year contender with lightweight champ Makhachev in February.
Sadly, that wasn’t the only bad news to come out of the night as White revealed during the post-fight press event following Tuesday’s Contender Series that Paulo Costa may be out of his co-main event spot with Khamzat Chimaev.
“Yeah, it’s possible,” White responded when asked if the fight between Costa and Chimaev was in danger of being pulled.
As for a timeline, the UFC boss suggested that he would have an answer shortly.
“Hopefully in a couple of hours, I’ll have an answer for you,” White added.
White also confirmed that the promotion had already been engaged in speaking to a few potential replacements in the event that Costa is forced to withdraw.
“We’re talking to a couple of people right now,” White revealed.
Dana White says "it's possible" that Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev is off and the UFC is "talking to a couple people" to replace Costa. pic.twitter.com/6IEQEdyma6
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) October 11, 2023
Who Could Replace ‘The Eraser’ at UFC 294?
The news of Costa’s imminent withdrawal shouldn’t come as quite a shock as Oliveira’s. Earlier this week, ‘The Eraser’ revealed that he had undergone elbow surgery three weeks ago to clear up a nasty case of bursitis. Still on the mend, Costa remained insistent that he would be good to go on fight night. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the UFC or the local athletic commission are going to feel the same way.
Regarding a potential replacement, nothing has been officially announced, but rumors are already swirling that Marvin Vettori had turned down the short-notice offer. Other names popping up include Jared Cannonier, Roman Dolidze, and former welterweight world champion Kamaru Usman.
Who would you like to see step up and replace Paulo Costa at UFC 294, if necessary?
Watch Dana White’s full post-fight press appearance below:
