Paulo Costa and Belal Muhammad are crying foul on Khamzat Chimaev’s claim that no one wants to fight him.
Undefeated rising UFC star Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) recently said he is keen to get back in the octagon, but the promotion hasn’t been able to secure him a foe. “The Wolf” is open to fights at either middleweight or welterweight, yet claimed four different opponent have declined matchups with him.
Two names who have been calling for a showdown with Chimaev in the aftermath of his 2022 wins over Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland are former 185-pound title challenger Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and surging 170-pound contender Muhammad (22-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) , both of whom issued replies to Chimaev’s statement in the comments of an MMA Junkie Instagram post.
@borrachinhamma: Does anyone still believe these bullshits?? 😂 gourmet🧁 🥤
@bullyb170: The four opponents that said no were Nick diaz Tony Ferguson Brett hart and Chris leben
Costa most recently competed in August, when he earned a bloody decision win over Luke Rockhold at UFC 278. He was linked to a matchup with Robert Whittaker at UFC 283 in Perth, Australia, on Feb. 11, but the pairing fell apart when Costa revealed he never signed for the fight and awaits a new UFC contract while on the final fight of his deal.
Muhammad extended his unbeaten streak to nine fights in the UFC when he ended Sean Brady’s undefeated record with a TKO win at UFC 281. He’s currently pushing for a rematch with champ Leon Edwards, but also has expressed the desire to put Chimaev on his hit list multiple times.
