Paulo Costa is furious and wants to settle a personal score with Khamzat Chimaev. At the UFC 318 media day on July 16, 2025, Costa revealed that Chimaev sent inappropriate messages to his girlfriend’s Instagram. The middleweight contender is eager to confront Chimaev in the octagon over this disrespect.
A Personal Grudge Ignites
Costa made his intentions clear during the media day.
“I want to fight [Chimaev] very badly,” Costa said at Wednesday’s UFC 318 media day. “I want to hurt him. It doesn’t matter if he won that fight or not. It doesn’t matter. We need to fight. He talk very bad things about me, in my girl’s Instagram DMs, so this is totally personal.” He emphasized the personal nature of the conflict, stating, “I feel angry just to hear his name, so we need to fight. We are young, we’re going to be on line, so I’m going to do my best Saturday. … I’m pretty sure I’m going to get the victory and I’m going to call his name, it doesn’t matter whether he wins or not. This fight just will not happen if he retires.”
The messages Chimaev sent were particularly offensive to Costa.
“Dirty things,” Costa said, describing the aforementioned DMs. “Like, ‘You should look for a better man,’ something like that. Not the kind of things a real man, confident man would do. Why he message her? Why he didn’t message me instead of her? Coward. He is a coward.”
Costa’s anger stems from Chimaev contacting his girlfriend instead of confronting him directly, which he sees as a cowardly act.
#UFC318‘s Paulo Costa says “coward” Khamzat Chimaev sent “nasty” DMs to his girlfriend.
“This is totally personal. I feel angry just to hear his name.” pic.twitter.com/1hIOJjuVAs
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) July 16, 2025
The bad blood between Costa and Chimaev has been brewing for some time. Costa, a former UFC middleweight title challenger, fought Israel Adesanya in 2020 but lost by knockout. Known for his powerful striking, he has been a top contender in the division. Chimaev, an undefeated UFC star, is recognized for his relentless wrestling and has quickly risen in the middleweight ranks. The two have clashed on social media before, but Chimaev’s messages to Costa’s girlfriend have escalated their rivalry to a personal level.
Costa’s Prediction for Chimaev’s Next Fight
Costa also shared his thoughts on Chimaev’s upcoming bout against Dricus Du Plessis.
“It’s hard to predict something, but I think Dricus is more solid,” Costa said. “He can resist the very first rush from Chimaev, ‘Gourmet Chen Chen,’ and then we never know after the third round how Chimaev can maintain, sustain his energy. I think this is my question.”
Costa believes Du Plessis’s durability could test Chimaev’s stamina, a factor often questioned in longer fights.
Costa is focused on his own fight at UFC 318 but has his sights set on Chimaev. He plans to call him out after his match, regardless of Chimaev’s result against Du Plessis. The UFC has not yet scheduled a fight between the two, but Costa’s heated comments have stirred excitement among fans eager for this personal showdown. For now, Costa is determined to make his case in the octagon and keep the pressure on Chimaev.
