Daniel Cormier doesn’t understand why Paulo Costa told the public about his elbow injury.
On October 21, Costa looks to make a statement in the middleweight division by defeating Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 294 co-main event. As if beating Chimaev isn’t hard enough, the 32-year-old former title challenger has another obstacle to overcome.
Earlier this week, Costa revealed he suffered a staph infection that led to elbow surgery. Since UFC 294 is less than two weeks away, the MMA community became concerned about the Brazilian’s ability to fight
During an episode of DC&RC, Daniel Cormier had this to say about Costa’s situation:
“I think it’s odd that he makes this public knowledge. I don’t know if this being public knowledge serves him in any way, shape, or form. Khamzat Chimaev is a beast, and Khamzat Chimaev is nasty. And if he gets an opportunity to latch onto his elbow, that’s exactly what he’s going to do.”
In September 2020, Paulo Costa endured a devastating second-round knockout loss against Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title. Nearly a year later, Costa returned and lost a second consecutive fight, this time a unanimous decision against Marvin Vettori.
Luckily for Costa, he bounced back in August 2022. The fan-favorite took on Luke Rockhold and scratched and clawed his way to a unanimous decision win. He now looks to silence doubters by handing Khamzat Chimaev his first professional MMA loss.
Watch the full episode of DC&RC below:
Daniel Cormier disagrees with people saying Paulo Costa is creating built-in excuses
Shortly after Paulo Costa revealed his injury, some fans began accusing him of establishing an excuse for his fight against Khamzat Chimaev. As for Daniel Cormier, the former UFC heavyweight champion doesn’t agree. Cormier had this to say on DC&RC:
“Most people will say he’s building in excuses. He thinks he’s gonna lose to this kid [Chimaev]. He’s putting out this stuff because now he has to build an excuse. I don’t think Paulo Costa is built that way. This guy is a monster. I have seen him in moments where I’m like, this is the best middleweight in the world. I always point back to the Yoel Romero fight.”
Khamzat Chimaev made his UFC in July 2020. Since then, he’s established himself as one of the biggest superstars in the promotion after six consecutive wins, including five inside the distance.
Chimaev last fought in September 2022, defeating Kevin Holland with a first-round submission in a catchweight bout.
‘Borz’ was scheduled to fight Nate Diaz in the UFC 279 main event before missing weight drastically, leading to an opponent switch and a potential permanent departure from the welterweight division.
It’ll be intriguing to see if Chimaev can run through Paulo Costa and secure a middleweight title shot.
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
