Khamzat Chimaev is yet to become the UFC middleweight champion, but Paulo Costa is already eyeing a fight with the Chechen.
After eight straight victories in the organisation, ‘Borz’ has finally received a title shot against the middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 this Saturday.
His road to the title has been littered with former champions like Robert Whittaker and Kamaru Usman, but has also been slightly marred by missing out on certain fights due to cancellations or pull-outs.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Chimaev once pulled out of a Nate Diaz fight for missing weight, and a scheduled fight with Costa did not go ahead because of an injury to the Brazilian in 2023.
Khamzat Chimaev’s cold response to Paulo Costa’s callout ahead of UFC 319 fight
But the feud between the Russian and ‘The Eraser’ has continued during the build-up to the event in Chicago.
Paulo called out his rival after he claimed the middleweight title challenger messaged his girlfriend saying ‘nasty things’, which Khamzat denies.
Now, one-half of the UFC main event of the next marquee event has responded in his usual cold fashion in an interview with the JAXXON Podcast.
Responding to the 34-year-old, he said: “What Paulo Costa says. I have my life. I have my bank account better than his, ten times (bigger). So I would be happy. So this guy is poor.
“That’s why he’s trying to call me out and make money, and I beat the guys who beat him.”
Following two back-to-back defeats, Brazil’s Costa returned to winning ways in July with a decision win over Roman Kopylov and currently finds himself ranked 12th in the division.
But the fight with Paulo is unlikely to occur for ‘The Wolf’, as he is in the top five, meaning he is more likely to compete against a Reinier de Ridder or Caio Borralho before the 15-4 fighter.
The wrestler also explained how he felt when he entered the world of MMA and how he had to adjust to a new side of the fight game he had never experienced before.
“A long time before, when I started with MMA, some stuff became like personal things,” Chimaev said.
“So it’s just fun. I understood quickly because people talk so much, and it is a fighting game, and they try to say we play with your mind, and say something to call, and make me angry. I don’t care.”
Khamzat Chimaev responds to ‘bogeyman’ talk ahead of UFC 319
The 31-year-old has been made out as a ‘bogeyman’ since stepping into the Octagon, with few calling him out after he debuted.
Du Plessis even marked it out as a reason for taking the fight because ‘no one else’ would, but the man himself has now spoken about how he feels about the label.
He said: “For normal people, I’m a good guy. If somebody is going against me and wants to take my… bro, I’m scared for him. So you want to fight me? I’m scared for you.
“If you want to be friends, I’m a good guy for you. So that’s it. So I’m a warrior. If someone goes to war (with me), I’m going to kill him.”
Both men in the main event have been upfront with their plans to go in the cage and inflict damage, but they have still maintained great respect throughout the build-up, which makes the fight all the more interesting.