Khamzat Chimaev takes aim at Paulo Costa ahead of their rumored bout
Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa have been embroiled in a controversy that has now escalated further following the Chechnya-born Swedish fighter's post on social media.
The undefeated European has been a sensation since entering the octagon and has put both the 170 and 185lb divisions on notice. Not only is 'Borz' capable of bulldozing those in his weight class and making it look easy, but he is also able to endure damage and come through the fire to win a decision as seen at UFC 273, when he faced Gilbert Burns.
With a move up in weight looking likely, Khamzat Chimaev has once again fired shots at middleweight mainstay Paulo Costa as the pair seem keen to settle their differences in the octagon.
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🤦🏻♂️Run coward run @BorrachinhaMMA 🏃🏼♂️😂🤦🏻♂️
Despite being a huge success at welterweight, Chimaev has seemingly been forced out of the division by the UFC after he failed to make weight for his monumental fight against Nate Diaz last time out, missing weight by a large margin.
He was given a replacement fight and made short work of fan-favorite Kevin Holland, but that wasn't enough to put him in Dana White's good books. While a fight with Colby Covington looked likely at the time, the 28-year-old will instead begin looking to make a claim towards a potential shot at Israel Adesanya's throne.
After back-to-back defeats, Paulo Costa found his way back into the winner's circle with an impressive display against Luke Rockhold last year. As he sits just inside the top 5, the Brazilian believes one more win—especially over a star like Chimaev— will put him right back into title contention.
Does the rumored Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa bout have a date?
Although nothing has been made official by the UFC at present, recent reports suggest Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa are on a collision course for the co-main event at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.
According to Chael Sonnen, the middleweight titans will compete in a huge title eliminator war just one fight before Islam Makhachev puts his 155lb strap on the line for the second time.
It seems both Chimaev and Costa are interested in making the super-fight a reality, and while nothing has been put in place as of now, there is time for things to unfold given that UFC 294 takes place in six months' time on October 21.