UFC 288 fight card ‘in trouble’ but Jan Blachowicz vs Paulo Costa ‘could be the salvation’

MMA fans are prepared to boycott the “horrifying” UFC 288 pay-per-view (PPV) fight card.

Losing the lightweight showdown between Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush, thanks to an untimely injury suffered by “Do Bronx,” left the main card lineup looking a little worse for the wear, so the promotion has been working on last-minute bookings to help justify the $79.99 price tag.

Jan Blachowicz vs. Paulo Costa to the rescue?

“Gourmet Chen Chen” appears to be Paulo-speak for Khamzat Chimaev.

UFC 288 will be headlined by the bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo. Welterweight contender Gilbert Burns has been teasing a spot in the main card lineup but the promotion has yet to make any official announcements for the May 6 event at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Costa, who turns 32 before the end of the week, has not competed since capturing a unanimous decision victory over the since-departed Luke Rockhold at UFC 278, mostly because of a contract dispute that was recently resolved.

Now all the 14-2 “Eraser” needs is an opponent.

Blachowicz (29-9) is a career light heavyweight but has recently been teasing a drop to 185 pounds. That’s unlikely to happen for UFC 288, assuming the master of “Polish Power” would even be interested in fighting Costa, so the Brazilian would have to bump up a weight class.

Don’t hold your breath.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 288 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 288: “Sterling vs. Cejudo” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.