"He's scared as fu**, he will not fight me" - Paulo Costa adamant Khamzat Chimaev is avoiding him, calls for Robert Whittaker matchup next

Paulo Costa has claimed that due to Khamzat Chimaev avoiding a fight against him, he will now be pursuing a meeting with Robert Whittaker.

The Brazilian got back into the winner's column with his impressive display against Luke Rockhold at UFC 278 in August. Despite looking tired throughout and being unable to finish the aging veteran, 'Borrachinha' put on a show and dominated the former UFC middleweight champion wherever the fight took place.

During an interview with The Schmo, he showed no signs of letting his feud with Khamzat Chimaev die down. Costa took the time to label the undefeated prospect a "pu**y" and stake his claim for a matchup against Robert Whittaker.

"He [Chimaev] will try to avoid however he can this fight. I think he will not fight me. He's scared as fu**, he will not fight me, never. He will try [to] avoid me as far as he can... I'm not surprised, he's a pu**y... [I took] his hat, his night's sleep, his main event, but he's avoiding me, you know, he's scared. Maybe [Robert] Whittaker, let's see who will be next for me. Yeah, I think it would be a great fight."

'The Reaper' last competed at UFC Paris earlier this year, and put on a show for the European crowd with a big performance against Marvin Vettori. Although he seems like a clear favorite to be next up for a middleweight title shot, his two previous losses to Israel Adesanya put him in a tough spot.

Check out what Paulo Costa had to say regarding Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker in the video below.

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Who's next for Khamzat Chimaev if not Paulo Costa?

Following his weight miss at UFC 279, it looked like Khamzat Chimaev was being forced to make a permanent move up to middleweight by the UFC. That plan now seems to have changed.

In a recent post on social media, 'Borz' claimed that he would be facing Colby Covington next, putting to rest the rumors of any potential fight against Paulo Costa.

The two UFC stars engaged in a confrontation backstage prior to UFC 279. The Brazilian has been angling for the promotion to schedule a fight between the two since.

With him now seemingly staying at welterweight, Chimaev could get his wish and be matched up with Colby Covington. The bout could end up as a fight of the year contender war with title implications on the line.