Paulo Costa brushes off ‘cute’ call-out from Dagestani phenom Ikram Aliskerov

Paulo Costa didn't stop trolling his opponents even after fight cancellations. Now, he goes after Ikram Aliskerov who he was to fight at UFC 291.

Paulo Costa brushes off ‘cute’ call-out from Dagestani phenom Ikram Aliskerov

Paulo Costa trolls Ikram Aliskerov for his callout (via Instagram)

Paulo Costa is a big name in the UFC middleweight division. But, he hasn’t fought since his win over Luke Rockhold in August 2022. However, three fights were offered to Costa in 2023, but all were canceled for various reasons. As such, he was earlier scheduled to face Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291, but the fight fell through. Now, Costa reacted to a video of Aliskerov on X.

Although not active in the octagon, Paulo Costa had been super active on social media. As such, ‘Borrachinha’ taunted Ikram Aliskerov after watching a video of him expressing his interest in fighting him. He called him ‘cute’ and made a mockery of Aliskerov’s call out. Here is what he said: 

He is so Cute, isn't he?
Paulo Costa via X
YouTube video

Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov were set to fight at UFC 291. But, Costa was affirmative of not fighting Aliskerov and mentioned this was just a negotiation tactic used by the UFC. As such, he refused to fight him resulting in the cancelation of the bout. Later, the UFC matched him against Khamzat Chimaev for UFC 294. But, again, ‘Borrachinha’ pulled out of the fight due to an unfortunate infection he contracted.

FS Video

Recently, the UFC announced Paulo Costa’s next fight. He is to take on the former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 298. Earlier this fight was scheduled for UFC 284 but Costa declined to fight Whittaker after having contract issues with the UFC. As for Ikram Aliskerov previously, he recently fought at UFC 294, securing a first-round knockout win over Warlley Alves. Next, he faces Anthony Hernandez on the same card as Costa vs. Whittaker.

Paulo Costa continues to wage word war with rival Khamzat Chimaev

Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev was to go down at UFC 294. But, Costa pulled out from the fight after suffering an infection in his elbow. Also, this marked his third fight cancelation in 2023. But finally, ‘Borrachinha’ shed hope in the eyes of the fans after his fight with Robert Whittaker was announced. Now, he fired shots at Khamzat Chimaev in his recent tweet.

Paulo Costa hits at Khamzat Chimaev after booking fight for UFC 298
Paulo Costa hits at Khamzat Chimaev after booking fight for UFC 298 (via IMAGO)

Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa had hatred for each other ever since their confrontation at the UFC Performance Institute in 2022. As such, they went back and forth on interviews, and X. Now, Costa trolled Chimaev for ‘hiding’ while mentioning he was ready to go in 2024.

Further, he continued saying that Chimaev was trying to build muscle for his new weight class (Middleweight). Moreover, ‘Borrachinha’ said he would fight at UFC 298 on February 17 and would make a quick turnaround for UFC 300 in April.

Although Paulo Costa remained inactive for over a year, he stayed relevant among the fighting community. As such, people were excited to see the return of Costa. He would take on Robert Whittaker in UFC 298 on his return.

In case you missed it: