UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa will be on the sidelines for a bit.
Costa returned to the win column after snapping a two-fight losing streak following his unanimous decision victory over Luke Rockhold at UFC 278 earlier this month.
The Brazilian spoke of a quick turnaround soon after. However, that will no longer be the case.
Costa broke his hand while landing a punch on Rockhold and has since undergone surgery to fix the issue.
“I broke my hand in the fight,” Costa said on his YouTube channel (via MMA Junkie). “I thought I had a bone injury or maybe ligaments, but what really happened was a fracture to the metacarpal bone.
“I hoped it wasn’t a fracture because then I would be able to come back to fighting again in 50 or 60 days and use all the conditioning and the whole camp I’ve done (for Rockhold).”
Paulo Costa Return Likely In December Or January
Costa was hoping to fight within two months, but for now, that won’t be happening.
Instead, he is likely to fight the last fight on his current UFC deal in either December or January.
The silver lining is that means he could potentially compete in the UFC’s first return to Brazil since the pandemic when the promotion goes to Rio de Janeiro on January 21.
“I planned on fighting in 60 days, but it won’t be possible,” Costa added. “I’ll have to fight in December or January. We’ll have a UFC card in Rio, so maybe it happens there. It’s up to the UFC.”
Who do you think Paulo Costa should face next?
