Jake Shields recounts how "bully" Khamzat Chimaev ganged up with "10 guys" to confront Paulo Costa at UFC PI
Jake Shields recently recounted an incident at the UFC PI that almost resulted in a confrontation between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa. He noted that the Brazilian was outnumbered and labeled Chimaev a bully for his actions.
The UFC veteran has been outspoken and hasn't shied away from sharing his opinions on fighting or politics. Shields was with Costa at the PI as they were training together for the first time and were in a predicament once Chimaev arrived with his teammates looking for a fight with 'Borrachinha'.
During the Brazilian's latest appearance on Shields' Fight Back podcast, the former Strikeforce middleweight champion recalled 'Borz's' team having a camera to film the altercation. He mentioned his loyalty to Costa because of his kindness toward him at the PI and was willing to back him up if a fight broke out, but believed it was all for publicity.
"I came [to the PI] to meet you and it's like, alright I gotta back you up. I liked you, I mean, I'm not gonna let 10 guys try to bully you. But it was kind of fake anyways because Chimaev waited over there in the corner...He waited for the video cameras to come in and then he runs over and was like, 'Let's fight'...If he wanted to fight you, he would've ran in. It was all for show." [9:10 - 9:36]
Check out Jake Shields' comments below:
Paulo Costa discloses he was confident if he and Jake Shields fought Khamzat Chimaev and his team
In addition to Jake Shields recalling what transpired with Khamzat Chimaev and his team at the UFC PI, Paulo Costa added that he would have been confident had a brawl ensued.
During the aforementioned episode, Costa said he noticed that 'Borz' was acting up for the camera and that Shields was ready to step in and back him up. The Brazilian didn't feel intimidated as he didn't believe Chimaev or his team would have been able to do anything. He said:
"I remember I looked at you and said, 'Yes, I think I pretty much know if we need to get in [a] brawl here, Jake will be here and let's go. Two of [us] against [Chimaev's] team, they will not handle us'...He did nothing, you know, he just waited for his camera crew [to] come." [10:05 - 10:33]
Check out Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa's exchange at the UFC PI below: