"Smash everybody" - Khamzat Chimaev shows off new Dragon Energy Drink can featuring his image

UFC welterweight star Khamzat Chimaev has shown off his latest brand deal with Dragon Energy Drink that sees his image featured on the latest cans of the South African product.

'Borz' has gone from hero to villain in recent weeks and was at the heart of the controversy regarding UFC 279's tumultuous fight week and card. Chimaev was originally set to face Nate Diaz in the main event before a shocking 7.5lbs weight miss forced the UFC into a card reshuffle. The Chechen-born fighter was dropped from the main event slot and instead fought Kevin Holland in a catchweight bout.

While fans were frustrated at the change, it was Chimaev's attitude following his moment on the scale that angered the MMA community. The 28-year-old appeared to care very little about missing weight and instead flipped off the crowd at the ceremonial weigh-ins when he was booed.

Chimaev dialed it up to a hundred following his first-round submission victory against 'Trailblazer'. He grabbed the microphone from Joe Rogan and shouted that he didn't care that he missed weight and that he wanted to "kill everybody."

Khamzat Chimaev savage interview post fight
#UFC279 https://t.co/rKvEsZqkuH

Chimaev has since taken to Instagram to show off the exciting new partnership.

Screenshot from Khamzat Chimaev's Instagram Story [Image courtesy of @khamzat_chimaev on Instagram]

Paulo Costa says Khamzat Chimaev is avoiding a fight with him

UFC middleweight Paulo Costa has claimed that Khamzat Chimaev is dodging a potential fight against him and that the Brazilian may look to face Robert Whittaker instead.

'Borrachinha' and Chimaev have been at odds in recent weeks with their 'beef' starting during UFC 279's fight week. Costa was training at the UFC Performance Institute when Khamzat Chimaev entered the gym and started shouting insults towards the Brazilian. While there have been no physical altercations, it appears the two have not drawn a line in the sand just yet.

Good nightz u littles u scared baggings 🙏 https://t.co/TRQr7NBiTv

Costa has remained true to form and has used his social media to try and antagonize the Chechen-born fighter ever since their spat. In a recent interview with 'The Schmo', the 31-year-old Brazilian pulled no punches and labeled Chimaev a "p*ssy":

"He [Chimaev] will try to avoid however he can this fight. I think he will not fight me. He's scared as fu**, he will not fight me, never. He will try [to] avoid me as far as he can... I'm not surprised, he's a pu**y... [I took] his hat, his night's sleep, his main event, but he's avoiding me, you know, he's scared. Maybe [Robert] Whittaker, let's see who will be next for me. Yeah, I think it would be a great fight."

Catch Costa's full interview with 'The Schmo' here: