Slated to make his Octagon comeback next month at UFC 294 in October, undefeated welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has warned one-time middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa ahead of their clash, vowing to send him back to his native Brazil “in a package”.
Chimaev, the current number four ranked welterweight contender, is slated to make his middleweight division return for the first time since his promotional bow back in 2020, taking on Belo Horizonte native, Costa over the course of three rounds in a pivotal potential title-eliminator at UFC 294.
Sidelined since September of last year, AllStars MMA staple, Chimaev most recently turned in a dominant opening round submission win over incoming Noche UFC co-headliner, Kevin Holland, submitting the Riverside striker with a first round D’Arce choke submission victory.
Propelling his record to 12-0 as a result, Chimaev, who missed weight for a planned event headliner with Nate Diaz by a whopping seven and a half pounds, has been instructed to make a middleweight return for his return – resulting in a comeback fight against middleweight rival, Costa.
Khamzat Chimaev vows to send Paulo Costa back to Brazil as a “dead man”
And attempting to shake up the division even more off the back of Sean Stickland’s stunning title victory over former two-time champion, Israel Adesanya last weekend at UFC 293, Chimaev has issued a chilling warning to Costa, ahead of their clash in the Middle East.
“Paulo (Costa), you’re dead, man,” Khamzat Chimaev said on his official YouTube channel. “Just be sure to come up to the cage, (I’ll) beat you up (and) send you back in a package to Brazil.”
“But, still in Brazil, they don’t want you,” Khamzat Chimaev explained. “No countries recognize you. Now you’re coming to my country. Muslims, brother, they’re coming for you. Allahu Akhbar.”
Himself predicting his own respective victory against Chimaev, Costa claimed he would land a “savage” finish of the Chechen-born contender – likely within the very first round of their UFC 294 grudge match.