‘Rejuvenated’ Paulo Costa Predicts ‘Tragic’ Fate for Khamzat Chimaev Moving to 205-Pound Weight Class

After an impressive showing at UFC 327 in the light heavyweight division, Paulo Costa has predicted a "tragic" fate for rival, Khamzat Chimaev.

‘Rejuvenated’ Paulo Costa Predicts ‘Tragic’ Fate for Khamzat Chimaev Moving to 205-Pound Weight Class

Paulo Costa’s ultimate target is to fight Khamzat Chimaev (via X)

In Short
  • Paulo Costa secured a knockout victory over Azamat Murzakanov in his light heavyweight debut.
  • Costa called out Khamzat Chimaev, claiming a fight at 205 pounds would be "tragic" for him.
  • Despite his win, Costa expressed frustration over being ranked seventh in the light heavyweight division.

The recent outing of Paulo Costa in the UFC’s light heavyweight division garnered much praise. After dominating most of the fight, the ‘Eraser’ secured a knockout over Azamat Murzakanov in the third round. Now, he is hoping to reignite an old rivalry after calling out the UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev.

Costa started off his UFC career 5-0 with 4 finishes. However, that run ended in his first title shot when he was matched up against Israel Adesanya. That loss kick-started a turbulent time in Costa’s career. He would lose 4 out of his next 5 fights, the most egregious being a catchweight bout after missing weight against Marvin Vettori.

‘Borrachinha’ has seemingly turned his fortunes around after winning his last two fights in impressive fashion. He beat Roman Kopylov via unanimous decision before going up to light heavyweight for his aforementioned win against Murzakanov. It appears Costa has realized his potential at his new weight class, made evident by his comments during an interview with Submission Radio.

I wish he [Khamzat Chimaev] comes to 205. I’m gonna be here with my arms open, waiting for him.Oh man, this is going to be even worse for him. On 205, I’m a monster, you know?… At 205, I have full secret juice power. Yeah, that’s gonna be tragic for him. Tragic.

Paulo Costa on facing Khamzat Chimaev at light heavyweight

Despite the callout, Paulo Costa’s future is far from decided. The Brazilian fighter said that he remains open to moving back down to 185lbs. At the same time, Borrachinha has also teased a potential move to heavyweight in pursuit of a fight against Josh Hokit.

That said, none of Costa’s other rivalries have gotten as heated as his feud with Khamzat Chimaev. With ‘Borz’ sending a shocking NSFW message to the Brazilian’s partner, things have already gone to extreme lengths in this rivalry with no punches thrown.

Nevertheless, Costa is fighting at 205lbs with bigger things to worry about than Chimaev. The 35-year-old revealed after his UFC 327 win that he was not pleased by his UFC ranking.

Paulo Costa explains his frustration with “embarrassing” UFC ranking

The win against Azamat Murzakanov was impressive for Paulo Costa for a multitude of reasons. The Russian was likely one fight away from a title shot, finishing 5 out of 6 wins in the UFC by knockout. On the other hand, Costa was on a one-fight win streak in a lower weight class, making his first scheduled appearance at light heavyweight. Nonetheless, Costa got the win, with a strong showing no less.

Paulo Costa
Paulo Costa (via MMA Mania)

Surely such a win comes with a huge bump in the rankings? Well, it did, but the boost was just not enough for the Brazilian. Costa went from being unranked as a light heavyweight to number 7 in the rankings. But the former middleweight title challenger believes he should have simply replaced Murzakanov in the rankings. He made this sentiment known in an interview with Submission Radio.

It’s embarrassing, you cannot explain it…I’ve tried to look for a reason for that but I could not find any reason to be seventh if my opponent was number six. 

Paulo Costa on his new light heavyweight ranking

Costa also pointed to his newfound rival, Josh Hokit, entering the UFC heavyweight division’s top 5 after his war with Curtis Blaydes. Hokit replaced Blaydes as the No. 5 ranked heavyweight in the UFC after his win. Naturally, Paulo Costa wants the same treatment as his peers with respect to his ranking in the light heavyweight division.

The ‘Eraser’ has never been one to shy away from expressing himself, even trolling Dana White over fighter pay. So his complaints about his rankings aren’t at all surprising. That said, it is worth remembering that this was Costa’s first proper showing at light heavyweight. So, it also makes sense why the UFC wouldn’t pull the trigger and give Costa a higher ranking.

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