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.
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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.’”