Khamzat Chimaev continues verbal barrage at Paulo Costa as potential fight talks intensify

Khamzat Chimaev is trying his best to get under Paulo Costa's skin as the duo edge closer to meeting inside the octagon.

Chimaev has been on a sensational run ever since signing with the UFC. While he has competed at both welterweight and middleweight so far, it looks like his next fight will be at 185 pounds. 'Borz' infamously missed weight by a large margin in his scheduled 170-pound bout against Nate Diaz last year and ended up fighting Kevin Holland instead.

With a move to middleweight in sight, Chimaev has been calling out top names at 185 pounds like Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira and Paulo Costa, and it appears as though 'Borrachinha' is the frontrunner. Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen notably claimed that Costa vs. Chimaev is being targeted for UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi this October.

MMA UNCENSORED

@MMAUNCENSORED1

Khamzat Chimaev vs Paulo Costa will Co Main the UFC event in Abu Dhabi on October 21st.

Via Chael Sonnen/ MMA Hour

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Khamzat Chimaev vs Paulo Costa will Co Main the UFC event in Abu Dhabi on October 21st.

Via Chael Sonnen/ MMA Hour https://t.co/fzLALpIdLS

Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa are often seen trading shots on social media and seem keen to settle their differences inside the octagon. Most recently, 'Borz' continued their back-and-forth online, posting a picture of the Brazilian after his hair transplant.

Take a look at the tweet below:

Khamzat Chimaev

@KChimaev

Hello everyone

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Hello everyone 😂 https://t.co/ZqwGcVztsn

Paulo Costa currently occupies the No.5 spot in the UFC middleweight rankings. The Brazilian is coming off a decision win over Luke Rockhold and has been eyeing a blockbuster fight against Khamzat Chimaev for quite some time now. The TUF alum often takes to Twitter to poke fun at 'Borz'.

Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha )

@BorrachinhaMMA

Facts IS noT HARAM

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Facts IS noT HARAM https://t.co/TpBF2G3q2x

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Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa: When will the two fight?

The UFC is yet to announce the rumored Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa matchup. As mentioned earlier, former UFC fighter-turned-analyst Chael Sonnen believes the fight will take place in Abu Dhabi later this year.

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Sonnen claimed that Chimaev vs. Costa will co-headline UFC 294, which is expected to be headlined by lightweight champion Islam Makhachev's second title defense. 'The American Gangster' told Ariel Helwani:

"So, my understanding is Khamzat is going to fight Paulo Costa. They've even got a date, they're gonna go out... Abu Dhabi. That's a co-main event - very relevant - they'll be there for three rounds instead of five."

Watch the interview below:

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