Paulo Costa is tired of hearing Khamzat Chimaev’s name.
There is still beef between “Borrachinha” and “Borz.” The two nearly collided inside the UFC Performance Institute, but a bout hasn’t materialized. Costa will be in a pivotal spot at UFC 298, facing Robert Whittaker on the main card inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, California this Saturday. A win would move Costa closer to a UFC title shot, but what about settling that grudge with Khamzat?
Costa feels Chimaev has to prove himself at 185 pounds before such a fight were to take place.
Paulo Costa Dismisses Khamzat Chimaev As Viable Middleweight
During a media scrum ahead of UFC 298, Paulo Costa said he was not impressed by Chimaev’s efforts against former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman last year. He doesn’t think the UFC brass view him as a serious middleweight contender.
“Of course, everybody knows I don’t like the guy, but I don’t think too much people take him so serious anymore,” Costa said. “He just stopped [fighting], he didn’t beat anybody in the middleweight division, top contenders or even top 15. He didn’t beat anybody in the top 15 middleweight division. How can you take this guy serious? He barely could beat Usman in 10 days, short notice. Usman didn’t cut weight to middleweight.”
Costa went on to say that Chimaev must prove himself in the middleweight division if he expects their fight to ever become a reality.
“I will not want to hear his name,” Costa said. “F*ck him. He needs to do something, he needs to beat somebody at least top 10 in middleweight. He didn’t yet, and I don’t think he’s capable to do that. That’s my thought about him.”
Chimaev recently criticized UFC CEO Dana White for not giving him a promised middleweight title shot. What Khamzat will do next remains to be seen.
Here is the full video of Paulo Costa’s UFC 298 media scrum:
