Khamzat Chimaev: 'Poor' Paulo Costa calling me out to make money
Costa (15-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) is eager to fight with Chimaev after accusing him of sending his wife "nasty" messages on Instagram. Chimaev denied ever doing that, but Costa still insists on settling his grudge with him.
Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) challenges Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) for the middleweight title in Saturday's UFC 319 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main event at United Center in Chicago.
"I don't care what Paulo Costa says," Chimaev said on the JAXXON podcast. "I have my life, I have my bank account better than his 10 times. This guy is poor. That's why he's trying to call me out and make money. I beat the guys who beat him."
Chimaev was asked about the possibility of moving up a weight class and facing Alex Pereira if he gets past Du Plessis. Pereira will run things back with light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC 320 headliner on Oct. 4 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
"It depends if he wins, so we'll see," Chimaev said of Pereira. "Actually, if he wins – (even) if he lost, they give me good money, I'm going to fight that guy. So, why not?"
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
29 minutes ago
- USA Today
UFC 319 video: Alexander Hernandez pulls off buzzer-beating TKO of Chase Hooper
Alexander Hernandez pulled off a stunning first-round finish on the UFC 319 prelims. It was a buzzer-beating TKO stoppage in the opening frame for Hernandez (17-8 MMA, 9-7 UFC), who found Chase Hooper's chin to end their lightweight bout at 4:58. Hooper came forward throughout the round, offering a variety of kicks and spinning attacks. Hernandez stayed light on his feet, defensively sound, and struck when he saw an opening. He found a home for the right hand that dropped Hooper (16-4-1 MMA, 8-4 UFC), and the follow-up punches prompted referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight just before the round ended. Check out video of the finish below (via Instagram): With the win, Hernandez extends his winning streak to three, as he entered following decision wins over Austin Hubbard and Kurt Holobaugh. During his post fight interview, Hernandez didn't have a name ready to call out, but he wanted a spot on the Noche UFC card, which takes place in his hometown of San Antonio on Sept. 13. Hooper sees his five-fight winning streak come to an end. His previous loss was also a first-round TKO stoppage against Steve Garcia in October 2022. Up-to-the-minute UFC 319 results include:
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Video: UFC 319 backstage post-fight interviews with winners
CHICAGO – UFC 319 took place Saturday with 12 bouts on the lineup. We've got you covered with backstage winner interviews from United Center. You can hear from all the UFC 319 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below. Joseph Morales Karine Silva Edson Barboza vs. Drakkar Klose Chase Hooper vs. Alexander Hernandez Jessica Andrade vs. Loopy Godinez Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk Baisangur Susurkaev vs. Eric Nolan Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
John Mateer's playmaking, leadership to lead Oklahoma to resurgent season
The Oklahoma Sooners made one of college football's most significant transfer portal acquisitions of the entire offseason when they signed former Washington State QB John Mateer. Since then, Mateer has earned his fair share of offseason hype and scrutiny. But with two weeks remaining until his OU debut, there's both hope and intrigue surrounding the new starter under center in Norman. In the snake pit that is the SEC, there are always question marks surrounding the quarterback position, especially for a starter who is new to the conference. Chris Low, who covers college football for ESPN, put together his biggest questions for each projected SEC starting quarterback heading into the 2025 season. For Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, his familiarity with Ben Arbuckle's offense and coming off a productive season in 2024 for Washington State, make him one of the more intriguing and dynamic passers in the SEC despite the jump in competition. On the field, he's different than the typical transfer quarterback being plugged into a new system because his offensive coordinator at Washington State, Ben Arbuckle, came with him. It's imperative that the Sooners play well around Mateer and that they protect him better than they protected the quarterback this past season. They allowed 50 sacks, which was tied for the most in the country. - Low, ESPN. Mateer has been in the spotlight plenty this offseason, as one of the projected top-tier quarterbacks in America this year. He was chosen to represent the Sooners at SEC Media Days and is already one of the trusted leaders in the locker room, despite only being on campus for a few months. Moving to the SEC from WSU will be a big jump in competition for Mateer. However, he's reiterated time and time again this offseason that he believes in the hard work he's done over the course of his career and that he also believes in the lessons he learned in 2024 as a first-time starter. Oklahoma's hopes rest squarely on Mateer's broad shoulders heading into this fall. We're about to find out if he has the goods that Sooner Nation hopes he brought with him from Pullman. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X@Aaron_Gelvin.
