5 reasons why the UFC should book Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa next

In the aftermath of UFC 279, Khamzat Chimaev seems somewhat directionless. The undefeated Chechen sensation was originally scheduled to headline the pay-per-view with Nate Diaz. Their bout was booked as a title eliminator and Chimaev was all but certain to win in order to fast-track him into a title fight with the reigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards.

Unfortunately, a shocking weigh-in failure on Chimaev's part ruined the promotion's plans. With no choice but to reshuffle the matchups on the card, the UFC had 'Borz' face Kevin Holland in a catchweight bout.

While Khamzat Chimaev emerged victorious, his inability to cut to the welterweight limit was highly scrutinized. Many called for Chimaev to make a permanent move to the middleweight division.

If Khamzat Chimaev does indeed make the 185lbs weight class his permanent home, it might serve his championship pursuits better than a stay at welterweight. Furthermore, there's already a matchup waiting for him at middleweight. Given his issues with former UFC middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa, it is the easiest bout to book for the Chechen phenom. This list details 5 reasons why the UFC should consider scheduling a matchup.

#5. It is a new rivalry

Before the events leading up to the UFC 279 weigh-ins, few would have ever imagined that a rivalry between Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev.

When Chimaev was still scheduled to face Nate Diaz in the main event, Paulo Costa was asked about his prediction for the bout. Costa, who was training with Nate Diaz's friend Jake Shields, was quick to dismiss Chimaev as a fake gangster before branding him a "gourmet Chechen."

In a recent appearance at Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour, Costa took more shots at 'Borz':

"Chimaev, you need to do something, m*****f*****, I stole everything that you had."

@BorrachinhaMMA had a message for Khamzat Chimaev 👀 #TheMMAHour

▶️ youtu.be/KyXYysfI0uo https://t.co/oWt8awbqxw

According to Costa, Chimaev stood no chance against Diaz. Following Costa's statement, both fighters crossed paths at the UFC Performance Institute.

Costa was training with Jake Shields, while Chimaev was outside the cage staring them down. A confrontation ensued with 'Borz' threatening to attack the Brazilian bruiser. Meanwhile, Costa merely laughed, brushing off Chimaev's threats as insincere. After Chimaev's poor weight cut, he was demoted to the co-main event.

The Chechen sensation emerged victorious against Kevin Holland, but Costa took credit for causing the weigh-in fiasco. 'Borrachinha' claimed to have enraged and stressed Chimaev so much that he couldn't make weight.

Afterwards, Costa challenged him to a fight at middleweight. Given their past, a potential bout would be very easy to promote.