PHOTO | Paulo Costa is as jacked as ever during coronavirus pandemic
The gym closures and social distancing measures associated with the coronavirus pandemic have not stopped UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa from maintaining his physique.
The Brazilian middleweight, who is expected to get the next crack at the division’s reigning champion Israel Adesanya, is looking as monstrous as ever, despite the challenges created by the pandemic.
Costa flaunted his physique in a series of photos posted to his social media channels.
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Paulo Costa has not fought since he defeated Yoel Romero by decision last August. This thrilling win, which earned both middleweights Fight of the Night honors, was expected to catapult Costa into a title fight with Adesanya. Regrettably, the Brazilian middleweight sustained a bicep injury in training, which kept him out of this planned championship bout.
While Costa did his best to expedite his recovery—and even had a friend impersonate a doctor to fool the UFC—the promotion opted to match Adesanya up with Romero in the meantime. Adesanya ended up winning this fight by decision, and with Costa now seemingly healthy, the fight seems like it’s back on the table. The only barrier to the bout being booked, of course, is the uncertainty caused by the ongoing pandemic.
Expect the UFC to book it as soon as it’s safe and feasible to do so.
Prior to his win over Romero, Costa picked up Octagon wins over Garreth McLellan, Oluwale Bamgbose, Johny Hendricks and Uriah Hall—all knockouts—to kickstart his UFC career. The hulking Brazilian middleweight is currently 12-0 in professional mixed martial arts.
Do you think Paulo Costa will capture the UFC middleweight title when he fights Israel Adesanya for the belt later this year? Give us your prediction in the comments section down below.
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 5/4/2020.
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