Paulo Costa, despite his move to light heavyweight, continues to set his sights on a future clash with the reigning UFC middleweight champion, Khamzat Chimaev.
The animosity between Chimaev and Costa is palpable, stemming from a strained relationship. “The Eraser” has openly expressed his eagerness to confront “Borz” and settle their differences within the octagon at some point.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, the Brazilian fighter discussed the impending launch of his “Secret Juice” following his next fight. When playfully questioned if his rival Chimaev would be consuming his mysterious concoction, Costa quipped:
“I doubt it. He looks ‘fatty,’ a ‘fat a*s.’ Secret Juice is for nice people, and he’s certainly not nice.”
Costa is scheduled to face the undefeated Azamat Murzakanov on April 11 at UFC 327. He plans to decisively defeat Murzakanov, also known as “K Dojo,” before redirecting his focus to a showdown with Chimaev.
Paulo Costa Ready to Fight Khamzat Chimaev at Middleweight or Light Heavyweight
During the same interview with Ariel Helwani, Paulo Costa affirmed that after securing a significant victory at UFC 327, he is open to either returning to the middleweight division to challenge Chimaev or waiting for Chimaev to ascend to light heavyweight. He stated:
“I’ve consistently made it clear that I want to fight him [Khamzat Chimaev]. It’s ultimately up to the UFC. If they want this fight to happen one day, I’ll be ready. He’s a champion right now. I believe after a strong win against Azamat on April 11, I could either drop back to middleweight to be in contention to fight him, or I could await him at 205 pounds. I’m prepared to fight him in both divisions. While I anticipate enjoying fighting at 205, I’m not closing the door on 185.”
The 34-year-old fighter further emphasized:
“I genuinely believe I present the most challenging matchup for Chimaev… This needs to happen [Costa vs. Chimaev]. He is my primary goal. I’m tired of the waiting. I sincerely hope we can fight very soon.”
Chimaev, who secured the UFC middleweight championship last year, is expected to make his first title defense after Ramadan. His opponent will most likely be Nassourdine Imavov or Sean Strickland.
The Chechen-born Emirati fighter intends to defend his 185-pound title once before transitioning to light heavyweight in pursuit of becoming a two-division champion.