Former UFC middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa has publicly accused Khamzat Chimaev of sending “nasty” messages to his girlfriend. This accusation comes ahead of UFC 318, where Costa is preparing for his upcoming fight.
Paulo Costa aims to return to the win column this Saturday at UFC 318, where he is set to face Roman Kopylov. Their bout will serve as the co-main event of a stacked card, headlined by the trilogy fight between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier. Costa is returning to the Octagon after a loss to former middleweight champion Sean Strickland at UFC 302 last year. A victory at UFC 318 could significantly strengthen his position as a contender for a title shot.
While Costa has no direct interest in the outcome of Chimaev`s fight against Dricus du Plessis, he is determined to settle a years-long feud with Chimaev.
Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev Feud Escalates
Costa and Chimaev were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 294, but Costa was forced to withdraw due to injury. He was subsequently replaced by former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, who lost to Chimaev by majority decision.
Since their planned UFC 294 bout fell through, tensions between Costa and Chimaev have not subsided. They have exchanged barbs on social media for months, and according to Costa, Chimaev escalated their professional rivalry into a personal one by involving his girlfriend.
During his UFC 318 media day press conference, Costa expressed his strong dislike for Chimaev:
“I want to fight Chimaev very badly. 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 talked very bad, nasty things to my girl in her Instagram DMs, so this is totally personal. Dirty things, like: `You should look for a better man.` That`s not what a real, confident man would do. Why did he message her instead of me? Coward. He is a coward. I get angry just hearing his name, so we need to fight. I`m absolutely sure I`m going to get the victory, and I`m going to call him out, regardless of whether he wins or not. This fight will only not happen if he retires.”
Costa recently stated his desire to fight Chimaev at The White House in 2026, as part of a planned UFC event on July 4th. Chimaev, who defeated Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 last year, is set to receive his long-awaited UFC title shot next month at UFC 319.
As of now, Chimaev has not responded to Costa`s remarks. He has reportedly assembled an “Avengers-like super team” to help him prepare for his bout against du Plessis at UFC 319, where he aims to claim the middleweight championship.
Khamzat Chimaev`s UFC Future Uncertain After Rival`s Claims
However, Costa`s desired matchup with Chimaev could face an unexpected hurdle following recent comments from another top contender in the division. Caio Borralho, who previously trained with Chimaev, raised eyebrows by claiming he`s heard rumors that Chimaev might potentially retire after a victory at UFC 319.
Chimaev has not addressed Borralho`s claims and appears fully focused on his title fight at UFC 319. Nevertheless, Chimaev has dealt with health issues throughout his career, which could impact the longevity of his UFC tenure.
Should both Costa and Chimaev win their upcoming fights, we could be one step closer to seeing their intense rivalry finally resolved inside the Octagon.
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Jack Thornley