“He won’t jump and fight before me…” Paulo Costa brushes off Khamzat Chimaev beef after Chechen’s inactivity inside octagon

Paulo Costa speaks about his beef with Khamzat Chimaev and the possibility of fighting him.

“He won’t jump and fight before me…” Paulo Costa brushes off Khamzat Chimaev beef after Chechen’s inactivity inside octagon

Paulo Costa is not interested in fighting rival Khamzat Chimaev (via Imago)

The beef between Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev was well-known to the MMA world. Their animosity got so big that the UFC booked a grudge match to settle the deal. As such, they were set to fight at UFC 294. However, Costa suffered an injury which led to the cancellation of the bout. When asked whether he would fight Chimeav, the Brazillian just brushed it off.

During the media day, Paulo Costa looked at Khamzat Chimaev’s state in the middleweight division. While the UFC considered him a potential title challenger, Costa wanted him first to beat a legitimate top-ten-ranked fighter. Here is what he said:

I do not want to hear his name. F**k him! He need to do something. He need to beat somebody at least top ten in the middleweight. He didn't yet and I don't think he is capable to do that...I don't believe he gonna jump and fight for the belt before me.
Paulo Costa (via UFC 298 Media Day)
YouTube video

Further, Paulo Costa brutally critiqued Khamzat Chimaev’s win against Kamaru Usman. He didn’t consider Usman a middleweight since he usually competed at welterweight. So, ‘Borrachinha’ claimed Chimaev had not defeated any recognized 185 contenders. Also, he wasn’t impressed by how ‘Borz’ beat Usman, given it was a close fight and Usman took it on short notice.

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Paulo Costa finally makes his return to the UFC octagon this weekend. After a spree of canceled fights, the Brazillian fights Robert Whittaker at UFC 298. As such, they clash heads in the co-main spot at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

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Paulo Costa believes a title fight is next for him

UFC 298 featured Paulo Costa taking on the former champion Robert Whittaker. This would mark the comeback of the Brazillian after not fighting for almost 18 months. However, Costa believed a title shot wasn’t too far. During the media day, he confirmed his intentions to fight for the middleweight title next.

Paulo Costa eyes a title shot with a win over Robert Whittaker in UFC 298
Paulo Costa eyes a title shot with a win over Robert Whittaker in UFC 298 (via Sports Illustrated)

With a win over Rober Whittaker in UFC 298, Paulo Costa wanted nothing but a shot at the UFC gold. As such, he made his claim based on the middleweight division’s status and his being a popular and exciting fighter.

Paulo Costa earlier faced Israel Adesanya at UFC 253 in an attempt to capture the UFC belt. But, he failed miserably as Adesanya knocked him out in the second round via TKO. However, the Brazillian hasn’t given up hope on his title aspirations. As such, he wanted to fight for the title next with a win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 298.

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