After arriving in Abu Dhabi just a week ahead of his UFC 253 title fight against Israel Adesanya, Paulo Costa won’t make the same mistake as he prepares to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294.
Renzo Gracie revealed to Sherdog.com that Costa arrived in Abu Dhabi the first week of September, even though his middleweight bout vs. Chimaev isn’t until Oct. 21.
"I was in Abu Dhabi, and I met ‘Borrachinha’ in there with his team split up in four rooms of a local hotel. I told him to stay in my apartment with his staff,” Gracie said in an interview from his academy in New York.
According to Gracie, Costa had the support of two wrestlers from Azerbaijan, coach Eric Albarracin and other three teammates who were helping him with sparring.
"He is having excellent sparring and all the structure necessary. My apartment is above the Cobra MMA Academy, and there is a supermarket very close. So he has all the structure there,” Gracie said. “That’s something really important when we are talking about Abu Dhabi, where sometimes the humidity can reach 97% and also there is sand in the air. When I left there the temperature was [102 degrees] but feeling like [116 degrees] due to the humidity.”
Gracie revealed that he has also invited Charles Oliveira to stay at his residence. Oliveira will face Islam Makhachev in a lightweight championship rematch in the UFC 294 main event.
“Charles' first fight was the best example about the importance of arriving few weeks before,” Gracie said. “I hope this time he comes before. By the way, he is totally welcome to join ‘Borrachinha.’”
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