Paulo Costa still pushing for Chimaev fight despite setbacks

The hostility betwixt the 2 fighters, who person been revolving astir each different for years, continues to simmer. It each started mode backmost successful 2022, erstwhile the past welterweight Khamzat Chimaev burst into Paulo Costa's grooming astatine the UFC's Performance Institute. Then the concern astir ended successful a carnal confrontation, but the unit managed to abstracted them.

From that infinitesimal on, things lone got much serious. Shortly aft the incident, Chimaev missed the scales for the lucifer against Nate Diaz, truthful helium had to determination to the middleweight part - wherever Costa was already somewhat famous. The UFC tried to lucifer them up for UFC 294, but the Brazilian had to cancel owed to a nasty elbow infection. Since then, each has gone his ain mode – portion the 33-year-old has mislaid to Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker, his rival has been winning successful succession, including Kamaru Usman and the aforementioned Whittaker.

"He has to combat me"

However, contempt their careers going successful antithetic directions, the erstwhile rubric challenger inactive believes that the combat has to happen. Ahead of his combat against Roman Kopylov connected July 19 astatine UFC 318, helium made nary concealed of what was connected his mind.

- If God gives maine this victory, I volition telephone him out. I volition telephone that lad of a bitch, that fucking coward to fight. He has to combat me. I person to combat him - said the large combatant successful an interrogation with Ariel Helwani.

He went connected to impeach Chimaev of hiding for years.

- The UFC has been trying to put this combat for a agelong time, but Khamzat ever says no. He ever says helium wants to combat anyone up to 84 kilograms, but not me. He avoids maine - the Brazilian emphasized.

As if each this were not enough, helium besides stated that his rival erstwhile sent a connection to his woman aft helium canceled the fight.

– I anticipation it wasn't a McGregor-style connection – helium said with a laugh, recalling different akin incidents from the MMA world.

If Costa manages to decision the Russian, and Chimaev suffers a decision successful the rubric lucifer astatine UFC 319 – the combat that the 33-year-old wants truthful overmuch could yet happen.