Paulo Costa shares his theory for Khamzat Chimaev pulling out of UFC Saudi Arabia
Paulo Costa shared a unique theory for Khamzat Chimaev's withdrawal from his fight against Robert Whittaker. Chimaev was scheduled to face the former middleweight champion in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia which is set to take place on June 22 in Riyadh.
Rising contender Ikram Aliskerov stepped in as a replacement and will now face the No. 3 ranked middleweight.
During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Costa spoke to Ariel Helwani and shared his perspective on Chimaev's withdrawal. According to him, the sanctions on Russia are preventing Chimaev from competing in America. He said:
''I think he cannot step in United States, in European as well."
Costa added:
''My information just come from you know some coach or some people who train with him or coach him just talk with some people that I know...I cannot assure 100% of that but they say yes because Russia has a lot of sanctions and everybody who is very close get too.''
Check out Paulo Costa's comments below:
Costa and Chimaev were originally slated to face at UFC 294. The fight, which was scheduled as the co-main event, might have had significant title implications for the winner. Unfortunately, the bout never happened as Costa had to withdraw due to a staph infection that required surgery on his elbow. Consequently, the former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman stepped in as a replacement and took on Chimaev.
The fight lasted three rounds, ultimately Chimaev got his hand raised via majority decision.
Meanwhile, in his last octagon outing at UFC 302, 'Borrachinha' squared off against former middleweight champion Sean Strickland and lost the fight via split decision. It was his second straight defeat of the year, following a unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker in the previous bout, which resulted in a slide in his rankings.
Paulo Costa wants Khamzat Chimaev next
Paulo Costa, who is trying to get back into the title picture, expressed interest in fighting Khamzat Chimaev. Costa thinks a fight with Chimaev will enable him to return to the previous mindset that got him a middleweight title shot.
The Brazilian described 'Borz' as the perfect opponent for him when he returns to the octagon in the aforementioned interview. He said:
''I think he [Chimaev] is the perfect kind of fighter to bring back the old Paulo. To bring back the [aggressiveness], to bring back the ferocity. I'm [looking] for that. And bro, you can see on my face, I can't wait, bring back this because I need the redemption...I need that fight and Chimaev is the perfect guy. I think he looks a little crazy, so this ought to be a very fun fight."
Check out Paulo Costa's comments below: