One-time middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa has offered to return in just over two weeks’ time at UFC 288 in the opening week of May – in a light heavyweight return against former division champion, Jan Blachowicz.
Costa, the current #5 ranked middleweight contender, has been sidelined since he featured on the main card of UFC 278 back in August of last year against former undisputed UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold.
Snapping a two-fight losing streak against both Israel Adesanya, and Marvin Vettori, Brazilian contender, Paulo Costa managed to land a unanimous decision triumph over Rockhold.
Penning terms on a new, multi-fight deal with the UFC last month, Costa – who was expected to fight former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker at UFC 284 in February, saw a potential rebooked fight with the latter shot down recently.
Earlier this month, UFC 288 lost it’s scheduled lightweight co-main event between Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush, due to a minor injury on the Brazilian’s side – leading to Gilbert Burns offering to fight former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier at the welterweight limit.
Paulo Costa offers to fight Jan Blachowicz on short notice at UFC 288
Furthermore, Belo Horizonte native, Costa has now offered to fight in May at UFC 288, issuing an open challenge to Polish veteran and former light heavyweight champion, Blachowicz.
“May 6. PPV event (UFC 288) is in trouble,” Paulo Costa tweeted. “Jan Blachowicz vs. Costa could be the salvation. I go up (to) 205 (pounds) on all juice. Let me know @ufc.”
As for Blachowicz, the former undisputed light heavyweight champion has been sidelined since his majority decision draw against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282 last December in the pair’s vacant championship fight.
Off the back of the above-mentioned, Adesanya’s middleweight title reclamation at UFC 287 earlier this month, Blachowicz offered to drop to the middleweight limit to fight his former-foe in a championship rematch.
