Paulo Costa reportedly set to make his octagon return for the first time since his loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 253
Paulo Costa is set to make his return to the octagon for a huge middleweight clash against Jared Cannonier. The fight is reportedly scheduled to headline the UFC event on August 21st. The location and venue for the event are yet to be revealed.
News of the fight was first reported by ESPN. If the bout happens, it will mark Paulo Costa's return to the octagon for the first time since his loss to Israel Adesanya.
At UFC Vegas 24, Paulo Costa was set for a showdown against Robert Whittaker. However, due to lingering effects from COVID-19, the Brazilian had to withdraw from his bout against the former UFC middleweight champion.
Heading into this fight, Cannonier will be on the back of a loss to Whittaker from UFC 254. Following his win over 'The Killa Gorilla' on Yas Island, Whittaker was set for a bout against Costa but eventually had to settle for Kelvin Gastelum.
Paulo Costa will return to the octagon for the first time since UFC 253
Paulo Costa's last fight was at UFC 253 when he lost to Israel Adesanya in a middleweight title bout. The title fight against Izzy was Costa's first shot at a UFC championship but the Brazilian was defeated in the second round of the fight, via TKO.
In the aftermath of the fight, Costa would go on to claim that he had trouble sleeping the night before the title fight. He consumed a lot of wine to help him sleep, which resulted in the loss against The Last Stylebender.
Since the defeat to Adesanya at UFC 253, Paulo Costa has called for a rematch on multiple occasions. The Brazilian's journey back to the title shot could begin with a win over the #4 ranked Cannonier.
As things stand though, Adesanya is set to defend his title next against Marvin Vettori in a rematch. In the aftermath of the upcoming UFC 263 pay-per-view, Robert Whittaker is expected to receive a shot at the belt but the #2 ranked Costa could be in contention for a title shot.