Paulo Costa undergoes surgery on broken hand, aiming for return in 2023

Paulo Costa after UFC 278. Paulo Costa was hoping to return to the Octagon by the end of the year, but his timeline may have to change.

The UFC middleweight defeated Luke Rockhold by unanimous decision in a ‘Fight of the Night’ awarded outing at UFC 278 this past Saturday. During that 15-minute affair, Costa fractured his right hand, which he has undergone surgery to repair recently.

The Brazilian revealed on his official YouTube channel that the surgery was successful, and his recovery timeline is going to be around eight weeks before he can resume training.

“I broke my hand in the fight,” said Costa. “I thought I had a bone injury or maybe ligaments, but what really happened was a fracture…