Someone from Paulo Costa's team posted video showing him struggling significantly to make 93 kg during weight preparation. This represents a notable jump from his previous competing weight of 84 kg in the middleweight division. The post also included Costa's comments expressing hatred for Russian fighters, stating this will be his second consecutive Russian opponent. Costa indicated that after dealing with this opponent, Khamzat Chimaev would be third on his list. The weight footage suggests Costa is finding the move up to light heavyweight challenging despite the higher weight limit.
