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Ex-champ Kamaru Usman tipped to be the backup for Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa at UFC 294

Chael Sonnen believes Kamaru Usman’s next assignment should see him serve as the backup for UFC 294’s highly anticipated clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa. On October 21, both men will make the walk to the Octagon for the first time in over a year in what could very well be a middleweight title […]

Chael Sonnen believes Kamaru Usman’s next assignment should see him serve as the backup for UFC 294’s highly anticipated clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa.

On October 21, both men will make the walk to the Octagon for the first time in over a year in what could very well be a middleweight title eliminator. But with both fighters having a history of missing weight, Sonnen believes it would be smart for the promotion to have a backup in place. And in the three-time UFC title challenger’s mind, there is only one man for the job.

“It is paramount that they have a backup fighter in Abu Dhabi for Paulo Costa versus Chimaev. It is paramount and it can’t just be anybody cause that’s the feature match, that’s the main event as far as we’re all concerned. The right guy has to be ready. The right guy is not Jarred Cannonier. I’m not saying that to be negative,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel.

“The right guy has a name, the right guy’s already asked for the fight, the right guy’s in shape. The right guy to fill in for Paulo Costa or Khamzat Chimaev, whichever one of them blinks first and they’re both blinking right now, little inside news for you, the fight guy is Kamaru Usman,” (h/t MiddleEasy).

Kamaru Usman Has Already Called for a Fight with Khamzat Chimaev

Usman has not competed since coming up short in his trilogy bout with Leon Edwards last March. Failing to reclaim the welterweight championship, the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ has teased a potential move to 185 and, at one point, even called out Khamzat Chimaev for a clash inside the cage. Of course, the bout never came to fruition, but serving as a backup at UFC 294 could be a perfect opportunity for Usman to dip his toe into the division.

Usman could also find himself encouraged to move up a weight class with the rise of a brand new middleweight champion in Sean Strickland.

“I believe that Kamaru Usman should go to 185 pounds,” Sonnen continued. “That’s Chael’s belief. I also followed Usman as a wrestler, who wrestled at 184 pounds, so I know that size is not an issue for him. That’s his actual size. Usman is just fine at 185. I’m telling you that until I’m blue in the face but it’s true. He didn’t wanna do it at 185 because it would have become a number one contender’s match. And if he beat Chimaev, which he planned to do, he did not want to be in a position where he drew into Izzy.”

Kamaru Usman has also shown some interest in a potential meeting with two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson. Currently, ‘Wonderboy’ is gearing up for a clash with undefeated standout Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 296 in December. If he can hand ‘Nomad’ his first career loss, Thompson could be primed for a showdown with the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ next year.

Khamzat Chimaev warns Paulo Costa ahead of UFC 294 fight: ‘There will be no jokes, it will be real’

Ahead of his much-anticipated Octagon return later this month, undefeated welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has put a firm end to his cordial and tongue-in-cheek clash with Paulo Costa at UFC 294, claiming their contest will be nothing but “real”. Chimaev, the current number four ranked welterweight contender, is set to co-headline UFC 294 in two […]

Chimaev, the current number four ranked welterweight contender, is set to co-headline UFC 294 in two weeks’ time in Abu Dhabi, UAE – taking on former middleweight title challenger, Costa in a championship eliminator clash in the Middle East.

Sidelined since September of last year, Chimaev most recently landed a one-sided opening round submission win over recent Noche UFC feature, Kevin Holland – securing a D’Arce choke submission stoppage.

As for Costa, the outspoken Belo Horizonte native has yet to feature inside the Octagon since August of last year, most recently landing a unanimous decision win over former middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Khamzat Chimaev sends a chilling message to Paulo Costa

And while both men have shared a somewhat light-hearted yet threatening build-up to their title eliminator, Chimaev has claimed all jokes will stop when they clash – showing off a massive back as part of an incredibly striking physique.

“There will be no jokes, it will be real!” Khamzat Chimaev posted on his official X account tonight.

There will be no jokes, it will be real! pic.twitter.com/KNuqyveIuk

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) October 1, 2023

Prior to his win over Holland last September, Chimaev turned in an impressive decision win over former welterweight title challenger, Gilbert Burns in April of last year to boot, with his UFC 294 clash against Costa coming as his first at the middleweight limit since his 2020 Octagon debut against John Philips.

Can Khamzat Chimaev remain undefeated against Paulo Costa at UFC 294?

Khamzat Chimaev is looking absolutely shredded weeks ahead of his UFC 294 clash with Paulo Costa

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 […]

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.

Gilbert Burns wants to see a double knockout between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa at UFC 294

Gilbert Burns doesn’t see Paulo Costa giving Khamzat Chimaev much more of a challenge than he himself did last year. On October 21, Costa and Chimaev will make their respective returns to the Octagon after more than a year on the shelf. Emanating from Etihiad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UFC 294 will feature a stacked […]

Gilbert Burns doesn’t see Paulo Costa giving Khamzat Chimaev much more of a challenge than he himself did last year.

On October 21, Costa and Chimaev will make their respective returns to the Octagon after more than a year on the shelf. Emanating from Etihiad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UFC 294 will feature a stacked night of fights, but few are more intriguing than the middleweight matchup pitting an undefeated Chechen monster against the one-time title challenger.

Chimaev goes into the contest on the cusp of his first title opportunity, but if Costa manages to score what many would consider to be an upset, he could walk straight into his second crack at UFC gold.

Gilbert Burns doesn’t see that happening.

Stepping inside the Octagon with Chimaev at UFC 273, Burns gave ‘Borz’ the toughest test of his career thus far, but it still wasn’t enough as the Chechen came out on top via a unanimous decision. Speaking with Mike Owens in a MiddleEasy exclusive interview, ‘Durinho’ suggested that Costa doesn’t have the heart needed to survive the kind of onslaught that Chimaev brings to his opponents.

“He’s a big guy, but I don’t think he has the heart that I have,” Burns said. “I don’t think he has the jiu-jitsu that I have. He doesn’t have the get-ups that I have. He doesn’t have the submission threat that I have that makes Khamzat not want to grapple.

“He’s a very strong and big guy, but if I had to guess – and I don’t like both of these guys, a double knockout would be the best result – but it’s a 50-50 fight,” Burns added. “If Khamzat is able to take him down, it’ll be a hard night for Costa. If Costa is able to defend the takedown, it’ll be a hard night for Khamzat.”

While we wouldn’t put any money on a double knockout finish, it has happened before. During the Ultimate Fighter 5 finale in 2007, Gray Maynard and Robert Emerson were both unable to continue their contest following an attempted takedown from Maynard. Lifting up Emerson during a double leg, Maynard slammed his opponent back down to the canvas, instantly breaking Emerson’s ribs and causing him to tap out immediately. However, Maynard knocked himself out in the process by hitting his head on the canvas. The bout was ruled a no contest as both men were unable to continue.

So, never say never.

UFC star Tracy Cortez clarifies her relationship with Paulo Costa following viral photo

Despite being on the shelf for more than a year, Tracy Cortez was a hot topic among MMA fans after her highly-publicized relationship with featherweight standout Brian Ortega came to an end. Cortez returned to the Octagon at Noche UFC, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Jasmine Jasudavicius, but prior to her successful return, […]

Despite being on the shelf for more than a year, Tracy Cortez was a hot topic among MMA fans after her highly-publicized relationship with featherweight standout Brian Ortega came to an end.

Cortez returned to the Octagon at Noche UFC, earning a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Jasmine Jasudavicius, but prior to her successful return, Cortez was the topic of much discussion after rumors ran rampant that the Phoenix-born beauty had found a new beau in one-time middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa.

In June, ‘The Eraser’ shared an image on X (formerly Twitter) of himself with Tracy Cortez. It was a relatively innocent picture, but considering Cortez’s relationship with Ortega had just ended, fans were quick to speculate that Cortez and Costa were now an item.

Happy Friday pic.twitter.com/0iUTIRxBoj

— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) July 1, 2023

Tracy Cortez Was Happy to Let Fans Run Wild Theories

Speaking with Andrew Whitelaw in a Sportskeeda MMA exclusive interview, Tracy Cortez confirmed that she got a kick out of all the speculation online and decided to let it ride. In the end, it was nothing more than an innocent picture with a good friend.

“Again, I don’t know what it is. I don’t know what it is. But, for some reason, I can’t take a photo with anybody because people will just run with whatever image they have in their head,” Cortez said. “But, I did, I had a good laugh at it. Him [Paulo Costa] and his wife, or fiancee, video-chatted me…They called me…I was like, ‘Man, you know what?’ I said, ‘I don’t care. Run with it. It’s funny. It’s bringing people in. Do what you gotta do. But, just let’s clear the air once everything settles…It was literally just a picture.’”

Cortez’s win over the weekend moved her to 5-0 inside the Octagon and 11-1 overall. Despite her impressive run thus far, Cortez’s appearances have been few and far between with the flyweight only competing twice in the last two and a half years.

As for Paulo Costa, the top-10 middleweight contender will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon next month when the promotion heads to Abu Dhabi for UFC 294. ‘The Eraser’ will attempt to stop the momentum of undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev in what could very well become a title eliminator.

Khamzat Chimaev sends chilling message to bitter rival Paulo Costa ahead of UFC 294 fight: ‘You’re dead, man’

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 […]

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.

Tag: Paulo Costa