The infrequency with which Costa competes has not cost him much, if any, ground in the middleweight division, where he currently sits at 6th in the rankings, having ended a two-fight skid with a decision victory unanimous decision against former champion Luke Rockhold. he last competed at UFC 278 in Salt Lake City.
Part of his absence is because he balked at fight offers and chose to bide his time on the sidelines, waiting for something more enjoyable for him. Part of the reason for this is poor timing, as illness and injury have scuttled several matchups over the years, including his first planned duet with Whittaker in 2021 and his appearance last fall at UFC 294.
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Although he did not compete, Costa made it clear that he did not relax or rest on his laurels during his most recent extended break.
“It’s very hard,” he said of being out of action. “Sometimes you go through tough times, tough times in your life – everyone, not just me – but what can you do? You just have to keep moving forward. When things are out of your control, what you can do is try to regain control of that situation.
“I just tried to stay healthy. I didn’t gain weight, I stayed focused on my diet and a good mentality; good outlook for the future. I just kept working, improving as much as I could. I had a few surgeries on my elbow – everything is fine now – but I asked God, “Why?” After all that, I think all those bad times made me grow a lot.