Undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev is absolutely shredded weeks ahead of his highly anticipated return to the Octagon.
By the time ‘Borz’ steps inside the cage at UFC 294, it will have been more than a year since his first-round destruction of Kevin Holland. With a dozen career wins and zero losses, Chimaev has established himself as a title contender in practically any division he chooses. On October 21, he’ll attempt to put the entire middleweight division on notice when he squares off with one-time UFC title challenger Paulo Costa in Abu Dhabi.
With the bout just a few short weeks away, Khamzat Chimaev looks to be in the best shape of his life, courtesy of an image shared by TheMACLife on Instagram.
With a Win over Costa, Will Khamzat Chimaev Secure Himself a Shot at Sean Strickland?
With Sean Strickland scoring a shocking unanimous decision victory over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, the middleweight title picture has been blown wide open with many, including former three-time title challenge Chael Sonnen, suggesting that Khamzat Chimaev’s fight with Paulo Costa could serve as a potential championship eliminator.
“Now it’s my time,” Chimaev said in his YouTube vlog. “Smash that guy [Costa], then it doesn’t matter if it will be Izzy or Strickland or somebody else. We’re coming for them.”
Borz’ is a perfect 6-0 inside the Octagon, his most notable victory coming against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273. If he can add another big win against Costa in the UAE, Khamzat Chimaev will see himself thrust into the division’s top 10 and a likely candidate to challenge Sean Strickland next year.
Of course, he’ll have to go through his toughest test to date in Paulo Costa. Coming off a win over former middleweight champ Luke Rockhold in August 2022, ‘The Eraser’ is determined to climb back into the title picture after coming up short in his first title tilt with Israel Adesanya more than three years ago.