Former UFC middleweight title contender Paulo Costa reportedly struck a nurse with an elbow after a dispute over a Covid-19 vaccination card.
The fighter, who is currently preparing to face Luke Rockhold after nearly a year out of the octagon, appeared to make light of the alleged incident on his official Twitter page following the initial reports of the news.
Health workers at the shopping centre where the alleged incident occured informed police Costa was there to receive a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine but before nurses could administer the jab, he made an attempt to leave without taking the injection.
Costa is reported to have attempted to take the vaccination card that shows proof of immunity, but the fighter's account of the situation differs. He claims he was injected but wasn't allowed to leave with the card, which caused an argument during which the nurse grabbed his arm and while breaking free, his elbow touched her.
After being questioned by police, Costa was released. The fighter is due in court for a hearing after the alleged victim filed a criminal complaint against him following the incident.
“The card was filled out," municipal guard Marco Mota said, according to MMAJunkie. "The workers said that, at the time of application, he did not accept to be vaccinated, he wanted to leave with the card, and they did not accept it. At that moment, a nurse was elbowed.
“He said he got the vaccine, but the nurses didn’t let him go out with the card. He said it generated stress. He took the card and left. At that moment, a nurse grabbed him by the arm, and he broke free."
Costa took to Twitter after the alleged incident is said to have taken place, seemingly joking about it. A fan sent him a screenshot of a news article covering the event, and Costa replied with a gif of Amy Poehler from the 2015 Emmys doing a peace sign.
He then shared a set of photos, one showing someone injecting their arm and another showing a bottle of what appears to be the anabolic steroid Turinabol. Costa captioned the post "I know how to do my f*** self vaccination, if you want to do [sic] come and bring your card please."
The Brazilian fighter last fought in October, losing to Marvin Vettori by decision after a week of drama surrounding their weight cuts. Costa refused to make the middleweight limit of 186lb, instead forcing Vettori to move up 20lb to light-heavyweight on a few days' notice.
Prior to the Vettori bout, Costa lost for the first time against Israel Adesanya in his first effort at UFC gold. The bout was one of the most highly anticipated on 2020, but he was knocked out in the second round after a dominant showing from the champion.
He was supposed to face Rockhold, the former middleweight champion, in July, but has since claimed that the event will be pushed back to August 20. It remains to be seen if the fight will take place after the American expressed frustration over the frequent delays.
