"When that stuff became real, he ran"– Alex Pereira accuses Khamzat Chimaev of being scared to fight Paulo Costa

A month has gone past since the controversial backstage altercation between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa. UFC middleweight Alex Pereira believes that the undefeated Chechen is avoiding a fight against 'Borrachinha'.

In the build-up to UFC 279, 'Borz' got into an argument with the Brazilian in the training area. The encounter could've gotten physical had Chimaev's camp not been there to intervene. After the spat, it looked as if the pair were set to be matched up in the near future.

Since their confrontation, Costa has been carrying around the Swede's hat and publicly calling for a fight against him.

Speaking to Helen Yee about Khamzat Chimaev in a recent interview, Alex Pereira insisted that the welterweight "ran" when things got real:

"Well, honestly, 'Borrachinha' called him [Khamzat Chimaev] out fair and square, you know, he ran. We actually don't know if he's really interested in those fights... He's running from 'Borrachinha', 'Borrachinha' said, 'I wanna fight you,' and then backstage for the cameras he told everybody he was interested, but when the stuff became real, he ran."

'Poatan' is just one win away from claiming his first ever UFC title when he competes in the UFC 281 main event next month. Despite already beating his opponent twice during their time in kickboxing, the Brazil-native will need to be at his best to overcome long-reigning champion Israel Adesanya.

Meanwhile, Paulo Costa is fresh off a great win over Luke Rockhold earlier this year. Costa aims to continue his winning ways with a potential title eliminator clash against fan-favorite Robert Whittaker.

Check out what Alex Pereira had to say about Chimaev in the video below:

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Who will Khamzat Chimaev face next?

Khamzat Chimaev has given mixed signals on social media about who he'll be facing next. There's talk of 'Borz' possibly moving up to middleweight following his weight miss last time out at UFC 279.

The rising star has previously had his sights set on competing against Israel Adesanya for his throne. Chimaev has openly labeled Adesanya as a great stylistic matchup for himself due to his wrestling credentials.

If he remains at welterweight, Chimaev has already given a clear indication of who he'd like to step in with next. In a fairly recent post on social media, 'The Wolf' targeted a matchup against Colby Covington in what would likely be a number one contender bout for Leon Edwards' crown.