Khamzat Chimaev plans to make Paulo Costa weep at UFC 294 this fall.
Last week, UFC President, Dana White, made a huge announcement: Chimaev and Costa are booked to fight at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Oct. 21, 2023. Costa was expected to make his return against Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City, Utah, next week, but that 185-pound showdown didn’t really make sense.
“Borz” vs. “The Eraser” has been rumored for several months and was the fight the fanbase wanted. The friction between the two Middleweights has been well-documented, as the pair got into a heated altercation inside UFC Apex last year and have been trolling each other online since.
Chimaev — who has been missing in action for most of the year — was front row at UFC London last night (Sat., July. 22, 2023) as a special guest fighter.
Khamzat Chimaev is at #UFCLondonpic.twitter.com/vn3q74HuCT
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) July 22, 2023
During the fights, Chimaev caught up with TNT Sports backstage to somewhat preview his upcoming fight with Costa, vowing to make his opponent cry.
“I’m going to make that guy cry in the cage like I always do,” Chimaev said. “Smash somebody and make money, so I don’t know, I’m going to make that guy cry, go home to Brazil. Nobody likes him — that’s why all of the Brazilians support me. That guy is no Brazilian, so I’m going to go smash this guy and make him cry.”
The build-up to this fight will continue to get heated with a bit of cringe thrown in. Actually, it’s already started …
For much more on UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi click here.