Why is Paulo Costa nicknamed 'The Eraser'?

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Paulo Costa at the UFC 253 weigh-ins

Paulo Costa was given the nickname 'The Eraser' by his coach Eric Albarracin. The moniker was inspired by an Arnold Schwarzenegger film called 'Eraser'.

Before he became to be known as 'The Eraser', Costa used to have another nickname. For years, the 30-year-old was called by the nickname 'Borrachinha', which, according to Costa, translates to 'Little Rubber' or 'Little Rubber Man'.

Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha )

@BorrachinhaMMA

@hoodrichgreek My name is Paulo Henrique Costa. Borrachinha is only nickname I had as a kid

2:54 AM · Apr 25, 2020

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@hoodrichgreek My name is Paulo Henrique Costa. Borrachinha is only nickname I had as a kid

According to an ESPN article, Costa's older brother Carlos was the reason behind the 'Borrachinha' nickname. Carlos was known as the 'Rubber Man' due to his flexibility.

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Paulo Costa vs. Marvin Vettori will likely take place at a catchweight

The main event of UFC Vegas 41 was supposed to be a middleweight showdown between former title challengers Marvin Vettori and Paulo Costa. However, the latter recently revealed that he would not be able to make the 186-pound weight limit for the headlining clash.

Brett Okamoto

@bokamotoESPN

Per UFC officials, the plan is to move forward with Costa vs. Vettori at a catchweight. No specific weight to report just yet.

6:39 AM · Oct 20, 2021

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Per UFC officials, the plan is to move forward with Costa vs. Vettori at a catchweight. No specific weight to report just yet.

Although no official catchweight has been announced by the UFC, both fighters seem to have agreed to a bout at 195 pounds.

ESPN MMA

@espnmma

In a joint interview with @bokamotoESPN, @BorrachinhaMMA and @MarvinVettori agreed to fight at a catchweight of 195 pounds at #UFCVegas41

5:06 AM · Oct 20, 2021

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In a joint interview with @bokamotoESPN, @BorrachinhaMMA and @MarvinVettori agreed to fight at a catchweight of 195 pounds at #UFCVegas41 https://t.co/RMP9TmQedW

Vettori's manager Ali Abdelaziz has also commented on the situation. According to ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, Abdelaziz stated that the Italian is ready to fight at any weight.

"We've never been a team to kill main events. I haven't talked to Paulo's team. But Marvin will fight him at heavyweight. He'll fight Francis Ngannou on Saturday if that's who shows up... But first it was 195 pounds. Then it goes to 198. I don't know what he's going through and I'm not going to judge him. We're gonna fight. Marvin wants him to show up," said Ali Abdelaziz.

Brett Okamoto

@bokamotoESPN

Marvin Vettori (@MarvinVettori)'s manager Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) tells me, "We've never been a team to kill main events. I haven't talked to Paulo's team. But Marvin will fight him at heavyweight. He'll fight Francis Ngannou on Saturday if that's who shows up ... (CONT)

3:24 AM · Oct 20, 2021

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Marvin Vettori (@MarvinVettori)'s manager Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) tells me, "We've never been a team to kill main events. I haven't talked to Paulo's team. But Marvin will fight him at heavyweight. He'll fight Francis Ngannou on Saturday if that's who shows up ... (CONT)

Both middleweights lost their last fights to current 185-pound king Israel Adesanya.

Costa competed against 'The Last Stylebender' at UFC 253 and lost via TKO in the second-round.

Vettori, meanwhile, went the full 25-minute distance with the champ in the main event of UFC 263 in June. The Italian still came up short and lost the contest via unanimous decision.

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