“Fight made him… smaller than before,” Paulo Costa claims Khamzat Chimaev is not ready for the big fights following underwhelming performance over Kamaru Usman

Paulo Costa rips up Khamzat Chimaev's performance against Kamaru Usman in the co-main event of UFC 294. Costa thought the hype of Chimaev has deteriorated.

“Fight made him… smaller than before,” Paulo Costa claims Khamzat Chimaev is not ready for the big fights following underwhelming performance over Kamaru Usman

Paulo Costa wants to hand Khamzat Chimaev his first defeat (Source: IMAGO)

Paulo Costa witnessed the UFC 294 co-main event in Abu Dhabi. Khamzat Chimaev faced off against Kamaru Usman. It was a last-minute addition to the card. Costa had to pull out due to a nasty staph infection. The bout did not live up to the hype. Chimaev won the matchup but did not dominate Usman. Costa has inevitably slammed the fighter for his performance.

Costa has praised Usman’s performance in the bout, with him having fought at welterweight his whole career. He said that Usman did the best he could, with probably just about a week of training. He believed despite forfeiting the first round, Usman won the second and third one. Costa affirmed that with a full camp and proper timing, Usman would have easily defeated him. This is what Paulo Costa said in the aftermath of UFC 294:

I think this fight makes Chimaev smaller than he was before. Actually, the people have a lot of hype on him, but I just realized it’s more about boys and kids. It’s not the hardcore fan base of MMA. Because the people don’t think he’s ready. Maybe he has potential, but he’s not ready for big fights, for superfights. Kamaru, with a full camp, smokes him.
Paulo Costa via MMA Fighting

The fans also were not very enthusiastic about the progression of the bout. While the first round saw Chimaev dominate Usman, the second and third rounds saw Usman mounting a comeback. Chimaev found it difficult to take Usman down in the second and the third round. Chimaev later reported that he hurt his right arm in the first round. Nevertheless, Chimaev no longer feels like the dominant fighter that he was.

“Borz” had gradually climbed up the welterweight ranks until he missed weight at UFC 279. He was thus forced up to middleweight full-time.  CEO Dana White had set the bout to be a title eliminator matchup. However, Costa felt that could change due to the underwhelming performance. Costa said Chimaev should fight a middleweight before earning the title shot. He was naturally not impressed overall.

Paulo Costa gives the latest update on his recovery

Paulo Costa was set to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 for a middleweight clash. However, the Brazilian fighter had to pull out due to a staph infection on his arm. Heading into the bout, he remained optimistic about turning up to the fight. He even indulged the fans of the sport with training and clinical updates.

Paulo Costa
Paulo Costa (Source: Twitter)

Previously, Costa had reaffirmed that as long as he received the proper treatment, he would face Chimaev. He had also reported having to train with only one hand. While massively skeptical at first, fans of the MMA world were shocked at the release of imagery of his infection. Then came the news that he would undergo a third surgery and had to pull out due to unavailability.

Taking to Instagram a week ago, Costa updated that he was healing quickly. Hopefully, Costa will make a full recovery and return to the octagon soon. He has an exciting fighting style and fight fans are always invested for his fights.

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