No. 1 UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa has suffered a setback while recovering from bicep surgery, and he won’t be ready to fight until spring.
Costa, 28, originally had targeted December for a title shot against Israel Adesanya, whom he confronted following the new champ’s win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 243. A procedure to repair his bicep, which he injured over one year ago, was not expected to present a major delay.
With that timeline now pushed back, Costa’s rep, Wallid Ismail, confirmed the promotion’s plans to give Adesanya another opponent in the interim, though he did not mention any names.