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Khamzat Chimaev betting favorite to hand Paulo Costa defeat in expected UFC 294 fight in October

Khamzat Chimaev betting favorite to beat Paulo Costa at UFC 294 in October In the midst of a stunning 12-fight undefeated professional run, unbeaten welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has been backed to remain perfect in his expected fight with one-time middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa ahead of their earmarked UFC 294 clash in October on ‘Fight Island’. Yet to book an Octagon return since co-headlining UFC 279 back […]

In the midst of a stunning 12-fight undefeated professional run, unbeaten welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has been backed to remain perfect in his expected fight with one-time middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa ahead of their earmarked UFC 294 clash in October on ‘Fight Island’.

Yet to book an Octagon return since co-headlining UFC 279 back in September of last year, Chechen-born contender, Khamzat Chimaev has been widely tipped to fight Belo Horizonte native, Costa at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, UAE in the third week of October, in a potential title-eliminator at the middleweight limit.

Landing at the same venue back in 2020, Chimaev has enjoyed a dizzying roughshod run through contenders at the welterweight limit, propelling himself to the #3 rank in the division to boot.

Going hammer and tongs with the promotion since returning to the winner’s enclosure at UFC 278 back in August of last year, Costa is expected to put pen to paper on a new, multi-fight deal with the Dana White-led promotion in the comings weeks – in a deal which has been touted as making him the best-paid Brazilian under contract in the UFC.

Khamzat Chimaev Octagon Return

However, in terms of an Octagon return against Khamzat Chimaev before the close of the year at the Etihad Arena, Costa has opened as a sizeable betting underdog (+290) to defeat Chimaev (-340) in their earmarked middleweight matchup. Full list online casinos using GCash offer endless markets on sports including combat, ahead of what promises to be a blockbuster year in the professional realm.

Sidelined since UFC 279 last September, Khamzat Chimaev most recently extended his promotional-perfect run to six fights, submitting Kevin Holland with a first round D’Arce choke submission at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Retaining his top-3 rank at the welterweight limit despite a difficult cut to the division in the past, the AllStars MMA staple had turned in a unanimous decision victory over recent winner and incoming UFC 288 co-headliner, Gilbert Burns back in April of last year.

As for Costa, the one-time title challenger managed to snap a two-fight skid against both Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori back in August of last year against the above-mentioned former champion, Rockhold – securing a unanimous judging victory.

Costa was expected to fight former champion, Robert Whittaker at UFC 284 back in February of this year in Perth, Australia – the Brazilian denied ever putting pen to paper on a deal to fight the former gold holder, leading to a public spat with the organization.

Without a main event slot for UFC 294 at the time of publication, undisputed lightweight kingpin, Islam Makhachev has been earmarked to return to the Octagon potentially in October – after earning a period of rest from the UFC, according to reports, could potentially take main event honors.

The Dagestan native recently headlined UFC 284 back in February, defending his lightweight title against Alexander Volkanovski, and has been linked to a title rematch against former gold holder, Charles Oliveira next, as well as a fresh pairing with Iranian contener, Beneil Dariush before the end of this year.

Paulo Costa confirms Khamzat Chimaev fight is in the works for UFC 294: ‘I think it’s going to happen’

One-time middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa has confirmed a fight between himself and undefeated welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev, is currently targeted for UFC 294 on October 21. in Abu Dhabi, UAE – claiming he’s confident the long-awaited pairing finally takes place. Costa, the current #5 ranked middleweight contender, has been sidelined since August of last […]

Costa, the current #5 ranked middleweight contender, has been sidelined since August of last year, featuring most recently on the main card of UFC 278, defeating former undisputed titleholder, Luke Rockhold in a close, unanimous decision victory.

As for Chimaev, the AllStars MMA staple managed to improve to 12-0 as a professional back in September at UFC 279, defeating recent winner, Kevin Holland in a dominant, opening round D’Arce choke submission success.

Linked with a potential return as soon as May to draft into a co-main event slot – which is now occupied by Gilbert Burns, and Belal Muhammad – the UFC had reportedly offered Costa a light heavyweight fight former undisputed titleholder, Jan Blachowicz.

Paulo Costa confident October fight with Khamzat Chimaev takes place

With the heralded fight between the duo failing to come to fruition, Costa claimed the UFC were attempting to book him in a fight against the undefeated, Chimaev for a UFC 294 pay-per-view event in October on ‘Fight Island’ at the Etihad Arena.

“I think October is so long – so far,” Paulo Costa said of a fight with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 during an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. “That’s why I was so happy when the UFC wanted me to fight Jan (Blachowicz) at 205 [pounds]. Because it’s much less work to cut weight, you know? And this doesn’t effect my weight division at 185 [pounds]. So, I was sad when Jan declined.”

“I think this fight (with Khamzat Chimaev) is gonna happen,” Paulo Costa explained. “I’m bothering the UFC to schedule a fight before [October] – like in June. I think they [the UFC] have some agreement with Abu Dhabi or Dubai government, so they need to push a big fight for there.”

Robert Whittaker targets summer UFC return, rules out Paulo Costa clash: ‘He upset me, I’m not fighting him’

Robert Whittaker has ruled out a potential matchup with Paulo Costa. ‘The Reaper’ has no interest in rebooking a showdown between the two top ten middleweight contenders after Costa pulled out of their previously scheduled scrap while undergoing contract negotiations with the promotion. Since then, ‘The Eraser’ has reportedly re-signed with the promotion and is […]

Robert Whittaker has ruled out a potential matchup with Paulo Costa.

‘The Reaper’ has no interest in rebooking a showdown between the two top ten middleweight contenders after Costa pulled out of their previously scheduled scrap while undergoing contract negotiations with the promotion. Since then, ‘The Eraser’ has reportedly re-signed with the promotion and is expected to make upwards of $1 million per fight going forward. Who he faces inside the Octagon next is anyone’s guess, but it’s safe to say that you can rule out Robert Whittaker.

Appearing on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, ‘The Reaper’ revealed that he has no interest in attempting to book another date with Costa after the secret juice-drinking Brazilian backed out not once, but twice.

“Costa upset me. I’m not fighting him because this is the second time I was supposed to fight him and he pulled out,” Whittaker said. “And it just mucks everything up. I have to do a whole camp. I make expenses and costs and everything like that to get to a point where he pulls away. This is the second time he’s done it. I want a fight that’s going to happen. I want a sure thing.”

Prior to being booked for UFC 284 in February, Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa were slated for an April 2021 meeting. ‘The Eraser’ withdrew due to an illness.

Robert Whittaker talks Costa and Khamzat.#TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/ZilGoOe36i

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) April 17, 2023

Robert Whittaker Says Khamzat Chimaev Should Earn the Opportunity to Fight a Top Five Fighter at Middleweight

Paulo Costa wasn’t the only potential opponent that Robert Whittaker ruled out during his conversation with Ariel Helwani. Asked about a potential fight with Khamzat Chimaev, ‘The Reaper’ suggested that the undefeated Chechen monster should go get a few wins inside the division before being rewarded with a top-five opponent.

“Chimaev, he’s not in the division’s rankings. I’m not a huge fan of guys just sliding in and fighting wherever they want. It’s a different place. The rankings are there for a reason. I like fighting top five guys. That’s just where I’m at. I like fighting top five guys because they’re the best of the best. They’ve earned and worked their way through the division to get there. It’s so much harder to work your way through a division than to slide in at the top.

“If you have one fight or two fights and you get to fight… Like [Alex] Pereira. There are a lot of dudes in the top twenty of the middleweight division that’ll give Pereira a hard time. Much more of a hard time than Israel [Adesanya] and that’s the truth. You know that and everyone else knows that. There are some dudes in there that’ll give him a nightmarish run for his money and that isn’t for a title.

“That’s just about the case for everybody. That’s why I like these guys that are in the top five. They worked their way up, much like I did. Work your way up, and you beat all these contenders. I like that. It’s a system we have and should be respected.”

With Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev seemingly off the table, who would you like to see Robert Whittaker face in his next Octagon appearance?

Khamzat Chimaev mocks Alex Pereira following KO loss at UFC 287: ‘Goodnight for you’

Khamzat Chimaev found it funny that the Sao Paulo menace Alex Pereira fell short at UFC 287 against his rival Israel Adesanya. After the fight, Chimaev did not hesitate to add insult to injury. Pereira and Adesanya held the main event slot at UFC 287 in a matchup that could be considered the most important […]

Khamzat Chimaev found it funny that the Sao Paulo menace Alex Pereira fell short at UFC 287 against his rival Israel Adesanya. After the fight, Chimaev did not hesitate to add insult to injury.

Pereira and Adesanya held the main event slot at UFC 287 in a matchup that could be considered the most important in either fighter’s career. It was the fourth time the two fighters would face each other in combat. At that point, the Sao Paulo striker was 3-0 against Adesanya, with two victories in kickboxing and one in MMA.

As the fight continued, things stayed reasonably close, but ‘Poatan’ did look to be in the lead. He took round one, and round two was much of the same until the fateful moment when Adesanya connected with two masterful right hands to send Pereira’s consciousness to a different dimension. It was a momentous occasion, and the crowd and fans across the world exploded with excitement to see such a split-second chain of events.

Khamzat Chimaev scoffs at Alex Pereira and Jorge Masvidal

From the sidelines, Chimaev thought things were pretty comical. He’d done a lot of talking in the lead up to UFC 287, and he sure didn’t hesitate to continue as the event drew to a close. On Twitter, he had a message for Pereira and Jorge Masvidal.

Alex Pereira, Jorge Masvidal, goodnight for you two,” Khamzat Chimaev snickered.

This wasn’t the first sly comment ‘Borz’ had for the Sao Paulo menace. Chimaev took to The MMA Hour to callout the then champion Pereira and claim he’d be an easy fight.

Khamzat Chimaev says Alex Pereira would be the easiest fight in his career. #TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/JnZ0d6ri5m

— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) March 22, 2023

“He’s the most easy fight for me in the UFC,” Chimaev began (H/T BJ Penn.com). “Yeah, in my career, brother. First round. First minute. Easy. No punch, nothing. If Israel trains just wrestling in this training camp, he will beat him [Pereira] easily. The guy has zero wrestling. The UFC likes to push the guy, crazy guy, he’s always serious, that s***. I don’t like that guy.”

Things are not one-sided, however, as ‘Poatan’ insinuated that Khamzat Chimaev was a coward and ran away from opponents during a media day ahead of UFC 287.

“Whoever the UFC puts against me after this fight, I’ll be willing and ready,” Alex Pereira declared. “Talking about [Paulo Costa] ‘Borrachinha’ and [Robert] Whittaker, I respect them. I don’t see them talking trash at me, wanting to promote themselves. Chimaev ran from everybody.”

Would a fight between Alex Pereira and Khamzat Chimaev be entertaining?

Khamzat Chimaev congratulates Israel Adesanya on UFC 287 win, issues warning: ‘See you soon’

Khamzat Chimaev is already eyeing a UFC middleweight title showdown with newly crowned 185-pound king Israel Adesanya. On Saturday night, ‘The Last Stylebender’ scored a jaw-dropping second-round knockout of longtime rival Alex Pereira to regain the middleweight title. Mere moments after Adesanya landed a right hand “from the gods,” Chimaev took to Twitter, congratulating the […]

Khamzat Chimaev is already eyeing a UFC middleweight title showdown with newly crowned 185-pound king Israel Adesanya.

On Saturday night, ‘The Last Stylebender’ scored a jaw-dropping second-round knockout of longtime rival Alex Pereira to regain the middleweight title. Mere moments after Adesanya landed a right hand “from the gods,” Chimaev took to Twitter, congratulating the new champion on his victory before issuing a warning.

Khamzat Chimaev Sets His Sights on Israel Adesanya Following UFC 287

7 years removed from his first loss against Alex Pereira under the GLORY Kickboxing banner, Israel Adesanya finally got a W against his towering Brazilian boogeyman. Unfortunately, he may not have much time to enjoy the victory as fighters are already lining up for their shot to dethrone the two-time titleholder. That includes the undefeated Chechen monster who has his eyes on UFC gold.

Khamzat Chimaev stormed into the UFC in 2020, rattling off three wins in less than two months before an especially bad bout with COVID-19 put him on the shelf for more than a year. Returning in 2021, Chimaev returned with a vengeance, earning a first-round submission of Li Jingliang before facing the toughest test of his career at UFC 273. ‘Borz’ went into battle with perennial contender Gilbert Burns, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision victory, the first time he would go to the scorecards under the UFC banner.

Chimaev has since added another win to his resume, mauling fan-favorite Kevin Holland on his way to a first-round submission.

In December, Khamzat Chimaev was heavily rumored to step inside the Octagon with then-middleweight champion Alex Pereira, but with the Brazilian fresh off of his UFC 281 clash with Israel Adesanya, the two parties were unable to come to terms. Now with ‘The Last Stylebender’ back in control of the division, ‘Borz’ has a new target to set his sights on.

Following the events of UFC 287, is Israel Adesanya vs. Khamzat Chimaev the fight to make?

Alex Pereira responds to Khamzat Chimaev, brands him ‘Dog’s a**hole’ ahead of UFC 287 return

Alex Pereira doesn’t think much of Khamzat Chimaev. Mere hours away from his first defense of the UFC middleweight championship, Pereira was asked his thoughts on multiple UFC stars in a round of world association. For the most part, Pereira was complimentary of his co-workers, referring to Robert Whittaker, Jon Jones, and even his UFC […]

Alex Pereira doesn’t think much of Khamzat Chimaev.

Mere hours away from his first defense of the UFC middleweight championship, Pereira was asked his thoughts on multiple UFC stars in a round of world association. For the most part, Pereira was complimentary of his co-workers, referring to Robert Whittaker, Jon Jones, and even his UFC 287 opponent Israel Adesanya, as “warriors.” However, when they asked what he thought of Khamzat Chimaev, Pereira delivered the sickest of burns with the straightest of faces.

“Dogs a**hole,” Pereira responded.

With the undefeated Chechen slated for a move to middleweight, a clash between the two behemoths seems inevitable. The two were heavily rumored for a showdown at the beginning of the year, just weeks removed from Alex Pereira’s shocking fifth-round knockout of Israel Adesanya to capture the middleweight title at UFC 281. Given the short-notice nature of the bout and the significant amount of weight-cutting involved, things fell apart quickly.

Alex Pereira Has No Interest in Talking About Khamzat Chimaev

Speaking at the UFC 287 media event on Wednesday, Pereira spoke about what would be next should he successfully defend his 185-pound crown on Saturday night. Willing to take on the best in the division, Pereira was quick to dismiss Chimaev, accusing the Chechen of running away from everybody.

“Whoever the UFC puts against me after this fight, I’ll be willing and ready,” Pereira said at UFC 287’s media day. “Talking about [Paulo Costa] ‘Borrachinha’ and [Robert] Whittaker, I respect them. I don’t see them talking trash at me, wanting to promote themselves. Chimaev ran from everybody.”

After running roughshod over his first five opponents inside the Octagon, Chimaev found himself booked for his first pay-per-view main event against fan-favorite Nate Diaz at UFC 279. Stepping on the scale 36 hours before their scheduled scrap, Chimaev weighed in eight pounds over the welterweight limit. Fans quickly turned on Chimaev as the promotion scurried to mix-and-match fighters in order to save the event from cancellation.

Though he made quick work of replacement opponent Kevin Holland at the event, Chimaev’s antics before and after the fight left a bad taste in the mouths of UFC fans and fellow fighters, including Alex Pereira.

“Chimaev, I’ll not even talk about him,” Pereira concluded.