Dustin Poirier vs. Islam Makhachev is the main event of UFC 302, which is quickly approaching. With the skill on show, the bout could go any way. The co-main event, however, is something that a lot of fans believe may affect the main event. Paulo Costa is scheduled to fight Sean Strickland at middleweight. Therefore, some believe that "The Paulo Costa Curse" may be at wor
UFC fans came up with the name "Costa Curse" to describe the strange coincidence that every champion who fights on the same show as Paulo Costa loses their championship. With Costa on the undercard, every champion has lost their title, making The Costa Curse a 100% success rate thus far. Breaking this curse will need a juggernaut, and who could be more qualified to do it than the UFC's top fighter right now, pound for pound?
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Victims of the Paulo Costa Curse
It all started with Paulo Costa's first pay-per-view event, UFC 212. Jose Aldo vs. Max Holloway was the night's headline event. Of course, Aldo lost the undisputed featherweight title to Holloway, the interim champion, by TKO in the third round. Then came UFC 217, where middleweight champion Michael Bisping lost to Georges St-Pierre, who had come out of retirement. In order to become a double champion, light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier defeated heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 226.
In a rematch with Miocic at UFC 241, DC lost his championship after being knocked out in the fourth round. The curse did not, however, apply at UFC 253, when Costa faced Israel Adesanya in the main event. He lost by TKO in the second round, which was his first UFC loss. Nevertheless, that is meaningless because Costa is not involved. It had only been effective when Costa was not facing the champion, or more simply, when the opponent in the title match did not include Costa.
Thus, the final two victims of the Costa Curse were Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 and Kamaru Usman at UFC 278. Costa will now be on UFC 302's undercard. Thankfully, Islam Makhachev will probably overcome Poirier and break the curse.
Islam Makhachev will work with Khabib Nurmagomedov to reverse the Paulo Costa Curse.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is a great mentor to Islam Makhachev. Since their early years, the two had been acquainted. The renowned Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was their trainer. Khabib decided to continue training Makhachev after the famous Dagestani instructor passed away. It's interesting to note that Khabib has already faced and defeated Poirier. His experience will thus be incredibly beneficial.
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But Makhachev's final several fights did not have "The Eagle" on the octagon side. Thankfully, the unbeaten Dagestani has returned for UFC 302. Additionally, he has a strategy to counter the threat that "The Diamond" poses. "The Eagle" believes that if Makhachev adheres to the complex strategy presented to him, he might defeat Poirier in the third round.
Thus, it appears that the Paulo Costa Curse is no longer in existence. Makhachev is already striving for double-champ status and has already looked beyond this battle. He plans to face Leon Edwards following the Poirier bout and has thrown out opponents like Arman Tsarukyan from his division. He can overtake his master in terms of glory if he defeats Edwards. Khabib himself would be overjoyed if it were to occur.
FAQs: Paulo Costa Curse
What is Paulo Costa known for?
Born on April 21, 1991, Paulo Henrique Costa is a professional mixed martial artist from Brazil. He presently fights for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the Middleweight class. He is ranked eleventh in the UFC middleweight rankings as of October 28, 2024.
What is Paulo Costa's source of income?
As of May 2024, Paulo Costa Curse estimated net worth is $1 million. The main sources of Paulo Costa's income include bouts, purses, endorsements, and bonuses. His estimated net worth ranges from $2 million to $3 million, according to some reports, however none of these figures can be independently confirmed.
Paulo Costa is a black belt, right?
But he returned to BJJ training after a short break. His brother, who was then a purple belt in grappling martial arts, would play a key role in helping him return to martial arts and has supported him ever since. Costa went on to obtain a black belt in BJJ and hasn't looked back since.
Was Paulo Costa infected with staph?
Costa's UFC 302 bout would have been canceled if he had been diagnosed with the virus. Costa has experience with the illness; at UFC 294, he was forced to withdraw from a planned fight with Khamzat Chimaev due to a staph infection.
