Fight fans react after photo suggests Paulo Costa may have a staph infection ahead of UFC 302

Fight fans have reacted to a photo that suggests Paulo Costa may be suffering with a staph infection heading into UFC 302.

On Saturday night, Paulo Costa will make his return to the Octagon. We all know that Paulo is a pretty divisive figure, and while he may not be the most consistent fighter in the cage, he knows how to make noise outside of it.

For the most part, that stems from his actions on social media which always cause a stir. From ‘secret juice’ to teasing other fighters, he likes saying and doing things that are going to make headlines. This weekend, he’ll hope to make headlines in a different way when he takes on Sean Strickland.

RELATED: Islam Makhachev addresses speculation of a Staph infection ahead of UFC 302

Alas, while there’s a lot of excitement surrounding the bout, some are concerned after recent photos of Costa’s foot indicated that he may be suffering from a staph infection.

https://twitter.com/MrTestoestrogen/status/1796250950358782381

https://twitter.com/pastillero83/status/1796257815138279458

Literally I blame the gyms they need to clean them properly

— MrTestoestrogen (@MrTestoestrogen) May 30, 2024

Secret juice side effects.

— D (@Darrehh) May 30, 2024

staff infections boutta 10-7 this whole card

— i like drinking water (@Officalmehbroh2) May 30, 2024

Could be mat burn

— burner.ftm (@BurnerAcco73632) May 30, 2024

Fans react to possible staph for Costa

“Why everybody has staph infection”
“Literally I blame the gyms they need to clean them properly”
“Secret juice side effects.”
“Staff [staph] infections boutta 10-7 this whole card”
“Could be mat burn”

Regardless of whether or not you like Paulo Costa, this is certainly a concern. Some have suggested that it could simply be a mat burn, but with Islam Makhachev also having staph, some fans are talking about the possibility of a UFC 302 “curse”.

Simply put, there almost certainly won’t be a curse. On the flip side, we all hope that there are as few problems as possible heading into fight night given the magnitude of this bout.

Do you believe that Paulo Costa has staph based on these photos? What is your prediction for his showdown with Sean Strickland tomorrow night? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!