Paulo Costa Had Surgery on Elbow Injury; Plans to Fight Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294

UFC middleweight Paulo Costa revealed he underwent elbow surgery a little over a month out from his fight with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 on Oct. 21.

Costa posted Monday on social media that he had procedure three weeks ago and showed the scarring on his elbow.

The disclosure certainly raises some questions given the close proximity to this month's event. The 32-year-old is nonetheless confident about his odds against Chimaev despite the fact he seemingly won't be at 100 percent.

"I will not pull out of this fight," he said to ESPN's Brett Okamoto. "I can beat him 99 out of 100 times. Only if the doctor doesn't allow me. I want that fight."

Okamoto reported the surgery was required to address an infection in Costa's elbow.

Former MMA fighter Alan Jouban offered his two cents on the situation:

Costa hasn't fought in more than a year. In his last appearance, he won a unanimous decision over Luke Rockhold at UFC 278 in August 2022. Now, fans might be wondering whether his layoff is extended because his health just became a major storyline leading up to UFC 294.