UFC Middleweight contenders Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa have history.
Their feud began back in Sept. 2022. While still competing at 170-pounds, Khamzat ran into Costa mid-training session at the UFC Performance Institute, and the duo had to be separated after an angry exchange of words. Not too long after their altercation, Khamzat missed weight so badly he was forced up a division, leaving the two in the same class. The path was clear for a grudge match, and so the bout was booked for UFC 294.
Unfortunately for “Borrachinha,” Chimaev is much less interested and doesn’t care about Costa’s attempts to rebuild hype for their collision. In a recent appearance on the JAXXON podcast, Khamzat confirmed that he just isn’t interested in fighting Poor Paulo.
“I don’t care what Paulo Costa says,” Chimaev said (via MMA Junkie). “I have my life, I have my bank account better than his 10 times. This guy is poor. That’s why he’s trying to call me out and make money. I beat the guys who beat him.”
At the moment, Chimaev has bigger fish to fry. He’s just hours away from his UFC 319 main event opportunity versus defending Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis, and UFC 319 fight week has proven Khamzat is a massive star. If victorious, “Borz” will skyrocket further into stardom, and there are plenty of more deserving contenders than Costa.
If he loses though, maybe the broke Brazilian isn’t such a bad match up?