UFC forced Khamzat Chimaev - Paulo Costa makes new claims about his "dream" title fight before retirement

Paulo Costa recently opened up about wanting to fight Khamzat Chimaev someday and revealed some intriguing details about their two previous failed bookings.

It's no secret that there's no love lost between Costa and Chimaev. The two have been feuding for over a year after their infamous altercation at the UFC PI before UFC 279 in September 2022.

In the aftermath, the two wasted no opportunity hurling insults at each other online and in interviews, leading to fans looking forward to seeing them settle their differences in the cage. While they were booked for a fight at UFC 294, Costa was forced to pull out due to a bursitis infection.

Costa has now been booked for a next fight against Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 in February. However, he's still thinking about his "dream fight" against Chimaev. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Costa spoke about his desire to face 'Borz' and said:

"My dream fight is for the belt against Chen Chen [Chimaev]. I have no question about one fight, one matchup against Chimaev. I can bet everything on me. I’m so confident in that fight."

'Borrachinha' further revealed that Chimaev allegedly turned down a fight against him three times last year despite the UFC pressuring him. Costa added:

"This should happen, it has to happen. But they cannot force [him]... You don’t know how much everybody from the UFC forced, they actually forced Khamzat to fight me in Abu Dhabi. He [turned down] three times last year... They made him a very good contract, like $2 million, to sign this deal... God saved him."

Catch Paulo Costa's comments below (15:50):

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Bo Nickal confident about his chances against Khamzat Chimaev in a potential fight

Bo Nickal recently weighed in on a potential fight against Khamzat Chimaev and stated that he fancies his chances against the grappling savant.

Chimaev is coming off a majority decision win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. After his fight against Costa fell through due to the Brazilian's elbow issue, Usman stepped in as a short-notice replacement. While many expected Chimaev to win easily, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' held his own and pushed 'Borz' to his limits.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Nickal shared his thoughts on Chimaev's performance against Usman. While the three-time NCAA wrestling champion admitted he was impressed, he believes he could beat 'Borz' in a potential fight. He said:

"I think in the first round, he looked lights out like he always does. He got Usman on the ground, held him down, beat him up, and was close to a finish a couple of times... I believe [I beat him]... I believe in myself, and I think that my skills match up very well against him."