Ahead of his return to the Octagon this weekend at UFC 298, former undisputed middleweight champion, Paulo Costa appears to have shut down the idea of a rescheduled showdown with long-time rival, Khamzat Chimaev in the future, questioning who of note the Chechen has beaten.
Costa, the current number six ranked middleweight contender, has been sidelined since 2022, most recently landing a unanimous decision win over former undisputed divisional champion, Luke Rockhold.
And forced from a slated title-eliminator against the unbeaten, Chimaev at UFC 294 back in October of last year, Costa was forced from the Abu Dhabi, UAE clash – after contracting a nasty bursitis infection in his elbow, resulting in a slew of surgical procedures to address the setback.
Booked to feature in the co-main event of UFC 298 this weekend in Anaheim, Costa takes on former titleholder, Robert Whittaker in another rebooked fight.
Paulo Costa rules out Khamzat Chimaev fight after UFC 298
And staking his claim for a second shot at middleweight gold – currently held by Dricus du Plessis, Costa has shot down the idea of a grudge match with Chimaev in the future, questioning who the Chechen contender has defeated of note.
“Of course, everybody knows I don’t like the guy (Khamzat Chimaev),” Paulo Costa told assembled media during his availability ahead of UFC 298. “But I don’t think too much people take him so serious anymore. He just stopped to fight – he didn’t beat anybody in the middleweight division. He didn’t beat anybody in the top 15 [of the] middleweight division.”
“… I like this beef between countries and cultures, and two guys,” Paulo Costa explained. “But after beating (Robert) Whittaker, bro, I will not want to hear his (Chimaev) name. F*ck him. He need to do something. He needs to beat somebody at the top – at least top ten in the middleweight [division]. And I don’t think he’s capable to (sic) do that.”
Do you think Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev ever settle their differences?