Paulo Costa | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Khamzat Chimaev shares 3 simple steps for a fulfilling life at UFC London: ‘Smash somebody, make money, be happy’

Undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev has a straightforward plan heading into his return to the Octagon this fall. By the time ‘Borz’ straps on the four-ounce gloves once again, it will have been more than a year removed from his first-round shellacking of Kevin Holland at UFC 279. But we suspect the long wait will be […]

Undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev has a straightforward plan heading into his return to the Octagon this fall.

By the time ‘Borz’ straps on the four-ounce gloves once again, it will have been more than a year removed from his first-round shellacking of Kevin Holland at UFC 279. But we suspect the long wait will be worth it as Khamzat Chimaev is set to square off with one-time UFC title challenger Paulo Costa. The pair are set to meet in a middleweight clash at UFC 294, as announced by Dana White early this week.

Speaking backstage at UFC London on Saturday, Chimaev shared his plan come October 21 and some advice for a long and happy life in general.

“Smash somebody. Make money. Be happy,” Chimaev said. “Guys, be ready. Don’t blink. I’ll smash this guy easy.”

"Smash somebody. Make money. Be happy."

Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) set some clear expectations for his upcoming fight with Paulo Costa at #UFC294.

[@VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi ]

— UFC News (@UFCNews) July 22, 2023

UFC 294 will emanate from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi where Khamzat Chimaev now calls home. Asked what it means to compete in the UAE capital, Chimaev said:

“In Abu Dhabi, it’s a different energy. They love me so much there, it’s like I’m home. My home town. Smash somebody there.”

Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa will Vie for a Potential Title Opportunity

Khamzat Chimaev will step into the contest boasting an undefeated record of 12-0 with six of those victories coming under the UFC banner. ‘Borz’ stormed into the promotion in 2020 and scored three wins in an eight-week span. Chimaev saw his career go on a brief hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, but he came back with a vengeance, landing finishes against Li Jingliang and Kevin Holland. However, his biggest win thus far came in a three-round war with perennial contender Gilbert Burns at UFC 273.

After spending the majority of his run in the welterweight division, ‘Borz’ will move to middleweight in hopes of earning a shot at the reigning 185-pound champion, Israel Adesanya.

Standing his way of that task will be Paulo Costa, a middleweight mainstay who will be making his own return to the Octagon after a lengthy layoff. The last time fans saw ‘The Eraser’ inside the cage was at UFC 278 in August 2022. Costa earned a unanimous decision win against Luke Rockhold, snapping a two-fight losing streak.

UFC 294 is scheduled to be headlined by a lightweight championship rematch between reigning titleholder Islam Makhachev and ex-champ Charles Oliveira.

Paulo Costa promises ‘masterclass’ in return fight with Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294

One-time UFC middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa is ready to put on a masterclass when he returns to the Octagon in October. Originally scheduled to compete against Russian standout Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291 later this month, ‘The Eraser’ will instead compete at UFC 294 when the promotion heads back to Etihad Arena in Abu […]

One-time UFC middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa is ready to put on a masterclass when he returns to the Octagon in October.

Originally scheduled to compete against Russian standout Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291 later this month, ‘The Eraser’ will instead compete at UFC 294 when the promotion heads back to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Meeting him in the middle of the Octagon will be the undefeated Chechen monster, Khamzat Chimaev. UFC President Dana White made the blockbuster announcement on Wednesday while also revealing that the event will be headlined by a lightweight title rematch between reigning champion Islam Makhachev and former titleholder Charles Oliveira.

Since the announcement, Paulo Costa has stayed busy on social media, delivering his special brand of humor and trash-talk. In one of his more toned-down posts, ‘Borrachinha’ guaranteed fans a masterful performance against Chimaev this fall.

“This whole thing is a big 4 -D Chess BOARD. The checkmate is coming fast. This gonna be called Paulo MASTER CLASS when it be finished,” Costa tweeted.

Paulo Costa Ready to End Khamzat Chimaev’s Hype

Paulo Costa won 10-straight bouts en route to his first opportunity at UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Costa came up short in his lone title bid, suffering a second-round knockout during their scrap at UFC 253. The Eraser’ followed that up with a second-straight loss to perennial contender Marvin Vettori 10 months later, but has since bounced back with a solid unanimous decision win over former champion Luke Rockhold.

As for Khamzat Chimaev, ‘Borz’ is undefeated in his mixed martial arts career, boasting a record of 12-0, including six victories inside the Octagon. Chiamev burst onto the scene in 2020, scoring three finishes in less than two months’ time. Since then, ‘Borz’ has added three more wins. Chimaev ragdolled both Li Jingliang and Kevin Holland on his way to submission victories, but his biggest test yet came between those two fights.

Chimaev went toe-to-toe with Gilbert Burns in a three-round war at UFC 273 last year. While there were moments where it appeared Chimaev was in trouble, he managed to walk away with a unanimous decision victory.

Will ‘Borz’ earn himself a middleweight title opportunity with another highlight-reel-worthy win at UFC 294, or will Paulo Costa stop the Khamzat Chimaev hype train dead in its tracks?

Photo – Khamzat Chimaev shows off impressive physique ahead of Paulo Costa fight in UFC 294 comeback

Khamzat Chimaev shows off an impressive physique ahead of a middleweight clash against Paulo Costa later this year. Finally, it has been announced that Chimaev has a fight booked after what will be 13 months out of action, with no reported injury, illness or visa issues. This is strange for someone who built is initial […]

Khamzat Chimaev shows off an impressive physique ahead of a middleweight clash against Paulo Costa later this year.

Finally, it has been announced that Chimaev has a fight booked after what will be 13 months out of action, with no reported injury, illness or visa issues. This is strange for someone who built is initial reputation for seemingly being willing to fight anyone at the drop of a hat.

Chimaev will take on marauding middleweight, Costa, at the 185lb limit in what could present the biggest challenge of his career. Last time out after missing out on a fight against Nate Diaz due to missing weight, ‘Borz’ took on Kevin Holland, easily dispatching of the American in just over two minutes.

His October 21 bout against Costa at UFC 294 could mark the official end of his welterweight days. The 29-year-old was always a massive welterweight and struggled with the weight, but in a new social media post he is looking as big as he ever has.

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa set for UFC 294

Initially, the announcement was a bit of a surprise after Costa had supposedly been booked to face Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291. However, it was reported that he was no longer fighting next week and just a couple days following, Costa was booked to face Chimaev. The Brazilian reacted to the announcement, Tweeting – “It’s OFFICIAL. I told you guys, I never lied. Abu Dhabi I’m bringing tha CHAOS to YOU ALL”

The pair have gone back and forth on social media for some time now, even having an altercation at the UFC performance institute.

The fight is certainly an intriguing one, Chimaev will no longer have a size and strength advantage, a large part of his success so far. While he will have the grappling advantage, Costa is a big middleweight with fantastic athleticism and is more than capable defensively. How it plays out on the feet will be interesting, while he possesses power, Chimaev has shown vulnerability, particularly in his fight against Gilbert Burns and now standing opposite him will be a man who has proven power and durability.

Who wins, Khamzat Chimaev or Paulo Costa?

Paulo Costa slams Khamzat Chimaev amid links to UFC 294 fight: ‘Motherf*cker, you can’t hide from me’

Amid continued links to a long-rumored clash with the undefeated, Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 in October, one-time middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa has warned the Chechen that he cannot “hide” from him for much longer. In the midst of a 12-fight undefeated run, AllStars MMA staple, Chimaev has been linked with a continued return […]

In the midst of a 12-fight undefeated run, AllStars MMA staple, Chimaev has been linked with a continued return to active competition this year, however, has yet to book an earmarked clash at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.

As for Belo Horizonte native, Costa, the middleweight staple is still listed to compete against would-be common-foe, Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291 later this month in Salt Lake City, Utah, however, over the week, conflicting reports have claimed that the Brazilian has withdrawn from the bout – particularly reports according to Aliskerov’s camp.

Paulo Costa sends expletive-filled message to Khamzat Chimaev

And fuelling those rumors across social media this Wednesday evening, Costa issued a message to Chimaev – who called for a welterweight title fight with Leon Edwards at UFC 294, claiming the Chechen-born finisher was “terrified” of him.

“What the f*ck,” Paulo Costa said during a video posted on his official social media. “Dude, this is great – he’s (Khamzat Chimaev) terrified, he’s terrified. Motherf*cker, you can’t hide from me. You can’t hide from me. I swear to God, I feel sorry for him.”

Sidelined since he featured on the main card of UFC 278 back in August of last year, Costa most recently snapped a two-fight losing skid to middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori – landing a unanimous decision win over former divisional titleholder, Luke Rockhold.

Himself without a walk since September of last year, Chimaev moved to 12-0 as a professional, submitting impromptu opponent, Kevin Holland with a first round D’Arce choke in a dominant catchweight victory for the former.

Paulo Costa looks absolutely shredded ahead of UFC 291 return against Ikram Aliskerov

Paulo Costa is looking fit as a fiddle weeks before his highly anticipated return to the Octagon this month. Costa, a one-time middleweight title challenger, will make his first appearance of 2023 as the promotion heads back to Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City for UFC 291. In the main event of the evening, fans […]

Paulo Costa is looking fit as a fiddle weeks before his highly anticipated return to the Octagon this month.

Costa, a one-time middleweight title challenger, will make his first appearance of 2023 as the promotion heads back to Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City for UFC 291. In the main event of the evening, fans will be treated to a rematch five years in the making as top-ranked lightweight contenders Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier run back their 2018 classic.

Fans will also get their first glimpse of former middleweight champion Alex Pereira at 205 as ‘Poatan’ is set to square off with former light heavyweight world champion Jan Blachowicz.

The main card’s featured bout will see Paulo Costa return to take on Russian standout Ikram Aliskerov. Ahead of their main card clash later this month, Costa offered up a look at his training whilst showing off his shredded physique in a video clip shared on social media.

Paulo Costa rides into the contest with a solid 14-2 record, his only losses coming against reigning UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and fellow top contender Marvin Vettori. His last appearance came in August 2022 when he squared off with the returning Luke Rockhold at UFC 278. The bout was both entertaining and odd, but Costa ultimately escaped with a unanimous decision victory.

Since then, Paulo Costa has been going back and forth with the promotion in hopes of securing a bigger bag for himself. According to the man himself, he did exactly that, signing a new contract worth upwards of $1 million per fight.

At UFC 291, we’ll find out if the No. 7 ranked middleweight is worth the investment when he faces the unranked Ikram Aliskerov. With a record of 14-1, Aliskerov will be looking to land a spot in the 185-pound division’s top ten after dispatching Phil Hawes in his promotional debut at UFC 288 in May.

Photo – Social media leak suggests Khamzat Chimaev is in line to fight Jared Cannonier in UFC 294 return

Khamzat Chimaev now appears to be facing former middleweight title challenger, Jared Cannonier. Following making quick work of Kevin Holland in September of 2022, it seemed that Chimaev would be ready to make a quick return to the octagon. However, 10 months on and the 29-year-old has nothing booked after being linked with several opponents […]

Khamzat Chimaev now appears to be facing former middleweight title challenger, Jared Cannonier.

Following making quick work of Kevin Holland in September of 2022, it seemed that Chimaev would be ready to make a quick return to the octagon. However, 10 months on and the 29-year-old has nothing booked after being linked with several opponents from 170-185lbs.

With documented issue making weight, Chimaev’s next step is a little more difficult than it should be, had he made weight for his cancelled bout against Nate Diaz. ‘Borz’ has bounced between the two weight classes, but his best chance at winning a UFC title appeared to be at welterweight given his natural size and strength advantage at the division.

For a while, it appeared that he would in fact be making the jump to middleweight to face Paulo Costa, in what would have been a highly intriguing contest given Costa’s athletic ability. Then, Chimaev was linked to a bout with former champion, Kamaru Usman, with the pair going back-and-forth most recently as yesterday.

While both Usman and Chimaev seemed keen for the fight, it now seems that Chimaev will return against a top middleweight.

Khamzat Chimaev’s next potential opponent leaked

Thanks to post by one of Chimaev’s coaches, Azamat Dugulubgov, and some crafting fans, it now appears that his next opponent will in fact be No.3 ranked middleweight, Jared Cannonier.

Dugulubgov posted to Instagram a photo of a UFC fight with the fighters blurred out, captioning it – “Already studying the next opponent for the Borz.”

It didn’t take long for fans to make comparisons to previous fights, and it appears to match up perfectly to a fight between Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum.

Gastleum is currently booked against Shavkat Rakhmonov after moving back down from middleweight. A fight between Cannonier and Chimaev had also been discussed after the ‘Killa Gorilla’ had been asked about the fight following his recent win over Marvin Vettori.

Who wins, Khamzat Chimaev or Jared Cannonier?