Paulo Costa teases return to action at UFC 297 in Toronto, Canada

Will Paulo Costa make his long-awaited return on January 20th at UFC 297 in Toronto, Canada? That certainly seems to be what “Borrachinha” is suggesting in a new social media posting.

Costa hasn’t fought since August 2022 for a variety of reasons, the main ones being an extended contract negotiation and a more recent staph injury that took him off UFC 294 in October. The popular Brazilian fighter was pushing hard to stay on the Abu Dhabi card against Khamzat Chimaev, but the giant gaping hole in his elbow was just a little too big.

Now he’s sharing a date with no further context.

“Jan 20,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter) with two fist emojis.

signed a new deal with the UFC back in March 2023 that will reportedly pay him over a million dollars per fight.

Eight months later and he still hasn’t fought, which means he still hasn’t been paid.