Paulo Costa says there’s nothing manufactured about his rivalry with Khamzat Chimaev entering UFC 294.
Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is set to return to the octagon and officially welcome Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) to the top of the middleweight division when they meet in a key matchup on the Oct. 21 fight card, which takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
The matchup has been brewing for nearly a year, after the pair had a run-in at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas prior to Chimaev’s UFC 279 victory over Kevin Holland.
Although Costa, 32, likes to joke around and be lighthearted at times, he said the fight with Chimaev, 29, is no joking matter, and the “beef” is legit.
“100 percent (real),” Costa told MMA Junkie in an interview facilitated by his partners at OnlyFans. “I think against Adesanya it was a very personal fight, but I hate that dude. I’m training to make him suffer. Not only to beat him, but I want to do that in great style. I put all my skills and all my concentration, focus to be better than ever. Physically, mentally, technically. All parts together to help me perform better than ever. I know over there in Abu Dhabi it will be kind of his house, but I don’t care. I’m going there to take over.”
Costa has already said that Chimaev is a “dead man walking.” He clarified that he doesn’t actually want to kill his opponent, despite his dislike of him, but he certainly wants to inflict pain on the undefeated fighter from Chechnya.
“I don’t really expect that he dies,” Costa said. “It’s just an expression, but honestly, I don’t see any chance of him winning the fight. Honestly. I’m being very honest. This will be savage. This will be fireworks. This will be wild. I bring my best. I will be there.”
After suffering his only career losses in back-to-back fights against champion Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori, Brazil’s Costa bounced back last summer with a thrilling win over former UFC and Strikeforce titleholder Luke Rockhold.
He’s been out of action since then, but Costa recently signed a new UFC contract and said he’s ready to make another run toward the belt. In fact, he’s confident a win over Chimaev will secure him a second opportunity at UFC gold.
“I think the winner of this fight is going to be the first for the title shot,” Costa said. “I think the winner between me and Khamzat will be next in the line for the title shot.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
