After UFC 294 main event cancellation, Dana White claims Paulo Costa's surgery casts shadow over co-main event fight against Khamzat Chimaev

According to reports, the highly anticipated Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev middleweight matchup at UFC 294 is in jeopardy. The Brazilian recently underwent bursitis surgery on his right elbow and could be forced to pull out of the bout.

MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter recently reported that the UFC hasn't officially confirmed Costa's withdrawal from the pay-per-view event. However, Dana White recently stated that he'll know more about the bout's status in the coming hours. The UFC CEO also confirmed that the promotion has been in contact with multiple middleweight contenders who could potentially replace 'Borrachinha' if needed.

Check out Bronsteter's tweet below:

Screenshot from @aaronbronsteter on X

Earlier this week, Paulo Costa revealed that he's training hard to be able to fight just five weeks after his elbow surgery. Despite having ten stitches on his hand, the Brazilian was insistent and posted several videos of him sparring on social media. However, only time will tell if the Brazilian is able to compete against Chimaev.

This news will come as a massive shock to fans who were reeling from Charles Oliveira's unfortunate withdrawal from UFC 294's main event. 'Do Bronx' was slated to face Islam Makhachev in an exciting title rematch. It was reported that the UFC is looking to rope in Alexander Volkanovski as Oliveira's replacement.

The featherweight champion last faced Makhachev in a 155-pound contest at UFC 284 and came up short on the judges' scorecards after a razor-sharp contest. The new UFC 294 main event is yet to be made official.