Latest news with #UFC294
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Paulo Costa confident he has way to beat 'anxious' Khamzat Chimaev: 'This is pretty easy'
Paulo Costa won't let go of his beef with Khamzat Chimaev. Costa (15-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) is irate at Chimaev for allegedly sending his girlfriend "nasty" DMs, and is dead set on fighting him after their UFC 294 booking fell through. The former title challenger returned to the win column with a unanimous decision win over Roman Kopylov this past Saturday at UFC 318. Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) challenges middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis Aug. 16 in the UFC 319 headliner from Chicago. Win or lose, Costa wants a piece of Chimaev, and is confident he has the blueprint to take out the undefeated phenom. "This is pretty easy, and I'm going to break down this, OK?," Costa told Submission Radio. "I can see this very clear in my mind right now, how it's going to happen. He'll be very stressful, anxious, and anger against me. Once the fight start, he will come, faint some punches, and then he going to shoot on my legs. So, I'm going to spend some time defending his takedown, he's going to try to push, push, push, and I think after one minute, maybe one and a half, he will be exhausted. "His arms and shoulders will be heavy. Heavy like a heavyweight. Then he will realize he don't put my back on the mat, and he will be heavy and slow Maybe I'm not going to finish him in the very first round. I'm going to let him gas out everything that he had until he be like a dead man walking in the second round. Then I'm going to hit his belly as much as I can with front kicks, with body shots until I see he wants to give up. When I see that, I'm going to start to hit his face and make him uglier than he is." Leading up to his fight with Kopylov, Costa couldn't contain his emotions when asked about Chimaev during his media obligations. He sent a stern message to "Borz." "I'm coming for you, you know that," Costa concluded. "I will not lie to anyone. I don't need that. You know who I am, and I know who the f*ck c*nt you are. I'm coming for you."
Pink Villa
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
'You should look for a better man,' Paulo Costa claims Khamzat Chimaev messaged 'dirty things' to his girlfriend
In a fiery media day appearance ahead of UFC 318, Paulo Costa shocked reporters and fans by accusing Khamzat Chimaev of privately messaging his girlfriend on Instagram with what he described as 'very bad' and 'cowardly' remarks. The former title contender didn't hold back, saying the feud is now personal and that he wants to 'hurt' Chimaev inside the octagon—win or lose. Costa faces Roman Kopylov in the UFC 318 co-main event on July 19, but his mind is clearly occupied by unfinished business with Chimaev. 'He crossed the line': Costa makes it personal Speaking to the press in New Orleans, Costa revealed that Chimaev had sent inappropriate DMs to his girlfriend, which included lines like 'you should look for a better man.' The Brazilian said this was not just trash talk—it was disrespectful and deliberate, calling his statements 'dirty things.' 'I feel angry just to hear his name,' Costa said, as reported by MMA Fighting. 'Why he message her? Why he didn't message me instead of her? Coward. He is a coward.' He confirmed that no matter the outcome of Chimaev's upcoming title shot at UFC 319, a fight between them must happen—unless, as Costa put it, 'he retires.' This isn't the first time the two have been linked. They were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 294, but Costa withdrew due to an elbow infection. Chimaev responds with mockery Khamzat Chimaev didn't remain silent for long. In a short but sharp social media post, he mocked Costa's emotional reaction from the media day. Replying to a X/Twitter post with a snippet of Costa shaking and wiping his eyes, Chimaev wrote, 'Bro, what's going on with you? Don't start to cry please.' That jab has quickly spread, with fans wondering is Costa was 'shaking just talking about you,' and 'very nervous.' The speculation around the real story behind the DMs also still continues. UFC Future: Business or vendetta? Costa made it clear that he won't let this issue go. While he emphasized that his immediate focus is on defeating Kopylov at UFC 318, he vowed to call out Chimaev immediately after. 'We have a mutual hate,' he told reporters. 'Unfinished business.' With Chimaev set to challenge Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319, Costa knows his window may be narrow—but he's banking on a win and a callout loud enough to reignite the fight that never happened. Fans now wait to see if Costa can deliver in the cage before chasing the man who, in his words, 'crossed the line.'
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Paulo Costa explodes after disturbing Khamzat Chimaev DMs to his girlfriend ahead of UFC 318 clash
Paulo Costa explodes after disturbing Khamzat Chimaev DMs to his girlfriend ahead of UFC 318 clash (Image via Getty) The buildup to UFC 318 just got personal. At the media day in New Orleans, Paulo Costa shocked reporters and fans by accusing Khamzat Chimaev of sending disrespectful messages to his girlfriend on Instagram. Costa, known for his fierce personality, didn't hold back his anger. He said the messages were 'very bad' and now he wants to settle it inside the octagon. Paulo Costa says Khamzat Chimaev crossed the line before UFC 318 During UFC 318's official media event held on July 17, 2025, Paulo Costa made a public accusation. He claimed that Khamzat Chimaev slid into his girlfriend's Instagram DMs and said 'very bad things.' Costa said, 'He crossed the line. I want to hurt him.' This unexpected revelation has added a lot of heat to an already tense week before the pay-per-view event. Costa is currently set to face Roman Kopylov at UFC 318 in New Orleans. However, his focus seemed more directed at Chimaev, who he believes is playing mental games. According to Costa, Chimaev's behavior was a dirty move meant to get under his skin. This claim immediately caught fire on social media, with fans reacting to the drama and questioning Chimaev's actions. Khamzat Chimaev stays silent as Paulo Costa's UFC 318 claims spark fan debate online So far, Khamzat Chimaev has not responded publicly to Costa's accusations. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You To Read in 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo But that hasn't stopped fans from choosing sides. On Twitter and Instagram, users debated whether Costa was telling the full story or simply hyping up a future fight. Chimaev, known for his trash talk, has used mind games before to unsettle his opponents. Many compared his behavior to NFL star Jalen Ramsey, who was known for similar tactics. Also Read: Manny Pacquiao Dares To Defy Age With Bold Move To Steal Mario Barrios' WBC Title While Costa is not currently scheduled to fight Chimaev, a win at UFC 318 could bring him closer to a long-awaited matchup. The two were originally supposed to fight at UFC 294, but the bout was canceled after Costa suffered an elbow injury. UFC fans have been asking for that fight ever since. As UFC 318 approaches, Costa's statements have spiced up the event. Fans now have more to watch than just the fights, they're watching a personal vendetta unfold. Will Costa back it up in his matchup? And can this feud lead to a blockbuster fight with Chimaev? Only fight night will tell, but the spotlight is on UFC 318. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Paulo Costa plans to call out 'motherf*cker' Khamzat Chimaev with UFC 318 win
Paulo Costa has not let go of his beef with Khamzat Chimaev. Costa (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) and Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) were booked to fight at UFC 294 in October 2023, but Costa wound up withdrawing due to injury. Their rivalry dates back to a heated run-in at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas prior to Chimaev's UFC 279 win over Kevin Holland in September 2022. Costa meets Roman Kopylov (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in Saturday's co-main event (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. With a win, "Borrachinha" hopes he can finally settle his score with Chimaev, who challenges middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 319 headliner on Aug. 16 in Chicago. "If God gives me this victory, I will call his name," Costa said on "The Ariel Helwani Show." "I'm going to call this son of a b*tch, motherf*cker for a fight. He needs to fight me. I need to fight him. I have tried to fight him for a long time, since we had a beef inside the PI. "He has been avoiding fighting me for a long time. He always says no, and UFC has tried to put this matchup together for a long time, like two years ago. They said Chimaev said no, 'he doesn't want to fight you, he wants to fight anybody at 185, but he doesn't want to fight you.'" Since falling short to Israel Adesanya in their title fight at UFC 253, Costa has failed to regain his peak form, losing four of his past five fights. He plans on bringing back the version of himself that went toe-to-toe with Yoel Romero in a Fight of the Night win. "I just feel like I need a new refresh," Costa said. "See different things and be connected with my old style, that style to chase, to be more aggressive, to bring back the Paulo of the old days since I fought my very first fights in the UFC, very aggressive. The fans and people around me always ask me to come back with this kind of style of fighting. So, yeah, I was looking for that, to bring back this style, and I think this is who I am."
USA Today
19-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Kamaru Usman eyes superfight with UFC middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis
Kamaru Usman eyes superfight with UFC middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis – in Africa Kamaru Usman has mapped out a plan to take part in the UFC's planned debut event in Africa. The UFC is interested in introducing the octagon in Africa, and UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) has been heavily linked to those plans. Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC), who returned to the win column with an impressive win over Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 69, hopes he can secure a title fight with Du Plessis after he tries to reclaim his welterweight title. "After getting the belt, they asked and they waited years for me to go up and get the middleweight strap, and why not?" Usman told TMZ Sports. "I will relinquish that if Dricus Du Plessis is still the champion: an all-African card. Africa vs. Africa, first card in Africa. UFC is close to getting that done. "South Africa vs. Nigeria: It's a rivalry that's been built forever, a sports rivalry. I think that's another blockbuster, and I think those are two mega-events that you're going to remember for generations. Manifestation is very, very powerful. If things start to fall in line, I think we're going to see a pretty interesting next 18 months." Usman's middleweight debut was an impressive one. Although he didn't get his hand raised, he pushed No. 1 contender and undefeated Khamzat Chimaev to the brink on short notice in a majority decision loss at UFC 294.
