The sight of Khamzat Chimaev fighting inside the octagon has become a rare phenomenon, despite the impression he gave us when he first debuted in the promotion, that he would be a real “war machine”.
Since his debut in the UFC in 2020 in Abu Dhabi, he has won two fights in just 10 days, with his destructive abilities.
Since then, he has fought 4 more times in the UFC, with the Chechen claiming that many fighters refuse to fight him, causing delays in his fights.
He has now secured a fight against Paulo Costa at UFC 294 on October 21st in Abu Dhabi.
Daniel Cormier, speaking about Chimaev through his YouTube channel, stated that if the Chechen defeats Costa and makes him cry inside the octagon, then he deserves to be the next in line for a title shot.
“If he beats Paulo Costa, Khamzat Chimaev rightfully deserves to fight for the middleweight title at 185 pounds. And I don’t think anyone would disagree with that.”
“By defeating Gilbert Burns, moving up in weight, and then defeating Paulo Costa, he becomes the number one contender for the title fight between Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis.”
Adesanya was expected to fight Du Plessis for the title on September 9th, but the South African stated that he won’t be ready by then and rejected the date. Adesanya is now requesting a fight against Sean Strickland, but that match hasn’t been finalized yet.
In any case, the challenge against Costa will be the toughest for Chimaev so far.