Cosmetic surgery is more common in the UFC than fans like to think. Be it rhinoplasty to fix a broken nose, or dental makeovers to fix their smiles, a trip to the operating room for a cosmetic makeover is often the next thing in line for fighters following a gruesome battle in the Octagon. But Paulo Costa went on the table for a different reason. 

You do remember the way his hair showed patches of his scalp back in 2020, right? Costa was facing troubles with his receding hairline, but now, the storyline has completely reversed. How did Costa get his hairline back? Let’s find out! But first, we need to understand the problem that he faced.

What Happened to Paulo Costa’s Hairline?

The Brazilian middleweight’s receding hairline was the result of androgenetic alopecia (male pattern baldness). This is a condition where the hair follicles become sensitive to dihydrotestosterone, making the follicles shrink. As a result, hair starts to get thinner and weaker, ultimately resulting in a receding hairline at the crown of the head. And stress acts as a catalyst to speed up the entire process. This is what happened to Paulo Costa.

While androgenetic alopecia doesn’t really have a complete cure, it can be stopped, slowed, and in rare cases, partially reversed. People with male pattern baldness are often advised to topically apply minoxidil and back it up with oral administration of finasteride. Meanwhile, many others opt for hair transplantation or platelet-rich plasma therapy. So, what method did ‘The Eraser’ opt for?

Did Paulo Costa Get a Hair Transplant?

Costa sought out an FUE (follicular unit extraction) type of hair transplant in June 2021. And the location? ‘The Eraser’ decided to get treated at a top-rated clinic in Turkey called Esthetic Hair Turkey. Turkey is now considered the transplant capital of the world, and it was only natural for Costa to visit the country for his treatment. 

The FUE process was certainly a success. Costa now has a new look, with denser hair and visibly no scarring. His surgeon, Dr. Pablo Milhomem, took to Instagram and shared a few visuals of the process. Later on, during a conversation with Brett Okamoto, he stated, “I made a transplant hair, you know. We removed some part of new hair, here, back. And put some hair where you need to grow. Three days and I was back on the walk. But I hope when I fight Marvin Vettori, my hair will be better, you know, beautiful, you know.”

Yes, he underwent the procedure prior to his battle against Marvin Vettori at UFC Vegas 41. Unfortunately, Costa wasn’t able to celebrate his new looks with a win, as the bout ended with a unanimous decision loss for him. But do you know what the MMA world had to say about his new look?

How Fans Reacted to Paulo Costa’s New Look

Kevin Holland wasted no time in taking to Instagram and sharing his reaction to Costa’s cosmetic surgery. He shared the same pictures that the doctor shared and captioned, “WTF, what in the world is going on here? He blocked me or I would tag him.” Meanwhile, Derek Brunson shared the images on X with his face photoshopped on top of the doctor’s face. He wrote, “World, meet Baldo Costa. I got you bro, mi costa su costa.” 

However, there was another problem with Costa’s transplant. In the battle against Robert Whittaker, the fans noticed his bald patches in the later rounds. This was a marker of severe hair thinning. ‘The Eraser’  initially received praise for his previously dense-looking hair. But later on, this thinning hair caught the fans’ attention. As the visuals from UFC 298, highlighting his scalp, went viral on Reddit, fans decided to discuss the problem. 

One fan claimed, “He saved his hairline, not the thinning of the rest of his hair.” Another fan wrote, “Bald dude here, nah that’s just how thinning hair looks like when it gets wet 🥲.” One more fan highlighted the trouble with DHT and commented, “You can’t blast androgens after getting a hair transplant and expect to keep your hair.” But what do you think of the Brazilian’s hairline trouble?