Paulo Costa discusses his feud with Khamzat Chimaev and the potential of facing him in a fight. The intense rivalry between Costa and Chimaev was widely known in the MMA community. The UFC even scheduled a grudge match between them at UFC 294. Unfortunately, Costa suffered an injury, resulting in the cancellation of the bout. When asked about the possibility of fighting Chimaev, Costa dismissed it without much consideration.
During the media day, Paulo Costa assessed Khamzat Chimaev’s position in the middleweight division. While the UFC viewed Chimaev as a potential contender for the title, Costa believed that he should first defeat a top-ten-ranked fighter to prove himself. Costa expressed his opinion on the matter in the following statement:
Furthermore, Paulo Costa strongly criticized Khamzat Chimaev’s victory against [opponent]. He argued that Usman, who usually competed in the welterweight division, should not be considered a legitimate middleweight. Therefore, Costa claimed that Chimaev had not defeated any recognized 185-pound contenders. He also downplayed Chimaev’s win over Usman, citing it as a close fight that Usman took on short notice.
Paulo Costa did not hold back when asked about Khamzat Chimaev’s potential title shot in the middleweight division. He made it clear that he has no fondness for Chimaev and stated that Robert Whittaker has better credentials than him.
After a series of fight cancellations, Paulo Costa is finally making his return to the UFC octagon this weekend. He will face [opponent] at UFC 298. The fight will serve as the co-main event at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
UFC 298 will feature Paulo Costa’s matchup against former champion Robert Whittaker. This fight marks Costa’s comeback after an 18-month hiatus. Despite the time away, Costa believes that a title shot is within reach. During the media day, he expressed his intentions to compete for the middleweight title in his next fight.
With a victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 298, Paulo Costa is determined to earn a shot at the UFC gold. He bases his claim on his popularity and exciting fighting style, as well as the current state of the middleweight division.
Paulo Costa is confident that a win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 will secure him the next opportunity to fight for the 185-pound title. He firmly believes that defeating Whittaker will place him at the front of the line for a title shot.
In a previous bout at UFC 253, Paulo Costa faced [opponent] in an attempt to capture the UFC belt. However, he suffered a devastating knockout loss in the second round. Despite this setback, Costa remains determined to pursue his goal of becoming a champion. He sees a victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 as his path to another shot at the title.
According to the Source firstsportz.com