"Some people believed I would fight this kid" - Paulo Costa makes quirky remark in the wake of Khamzat Chimaev fight announcement

Paulo Costa has been slated to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294, set to take place on October 21st at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The matchup was announced by Dana White on Wednesday, and the Brazilian fighter couldn't resist making a quirky remark on Twitter about his initial opponent.

'Borrachinha' was originally expected to face Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291 on July 29th in Salt Lake City. However, with the recent change in matchmaking, Aliskerov will now be fighting Nassourdine Imavov at UFC 294 instead.

Subtly alluding to the fact that Aliskerov is relatively fresh in the UFC compared to him, the Brazilian fighter took to Twitter and playfully commented:

"crazy to think some people believed I would fight this kid"

The Brazilian middleweight star seemed unfazed by the change in opponents as he prepares to face the highly-touted Khamzat Chimaev, who is coming off a quick submission win over Kevin Holland at UFC 279. Chimaev, known for his dominant performances in the UFC, has only one blemish on his record, a unanimous decision victory over Gilbert Burns.

For Costa, a victory against Chimaev could mark his second win in a row, as he recently secured a unanimous decision victory over Luke Rockhold at UFC 278 in August 2022. Prior to that, Costa suffered consecutive losses to Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori.

With both fighters eager to make their mark in the middleweight division, the showdown between Paulo Costa and Chimaev promises to be an electrifying affair.

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What did Chael Sonnen predict on the Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight?

Chael Sonnen, while speaking to Ariel Helwani, predicted that the Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight would take place as the co-main event at UFC 294.

He made this prediction back in April, and it seems that Sonnen's foresight turned out to be accurate, as UFC 294's lineup has now been confirmed with Chimaev vs. Costa as the co-main event.

During the episode of The MMA Hour on April 1st, Chael Sonnen shared his insights, saying:

"So my understanding is [that] Khamzat is going to fight Paulo Costa - they're going to go out [and fight in] Abu Dhabi. That's a co-main event, very relevant, they'll be there for three rounds instead of five. [The UFC will put] Islam on top of the bill. Now the relevance to Islam [being] on top of the bill is - Islam is going to fight the winner of Charles and Benny, and that's still three weeks away."

Check out Sonnen's prediction below: