Khamzat Chimaev warns Paulo Costa ahead of UFC 294 fight: ‘There will be no jokes, it will be real’
Ahead of his much-anticipated Octagon return later this month, undefeated welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev has put a firm end to his cordial and tongue-in-cheek clash with Paulo Costa at UFC 294, claiming their contest will be nothing but “real”.
Chimaev, the current number four ranked welterweight contender, is set to co-headline UFC 294 in two weeks’ time in Abu Dhabi, UAE – taking on former middleweight title challenger, Costa in a championship eliminator clash in the Middle East.
Sidelined since September of last year, Chimaev most recently landed a one-sided opening round submission win over recent Noche UFC feature, Kevin Holland – securing a D’Arce choke submission stoppage.
As for Costa, the outspoken Belo Horizonte native has yet to feature inside the Octagon since August of last year, most recently landing a unanimous decision win over former middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Khamzat Chimaev sends a chilling message to Paulo Costa
And while both men have shared a somewhat light-hearted yet threatening build-up to their title eliminator, Chimaev has claimed all jokes will stop when they clash – showing off a massive back as part of an incredibly striking physique.
“There will be no jokes, it will be real!” Khamzat Chimaev posted on his official X account tonight.
Prior to his win over Holland last September, Chimaev turned in an impressive decision win over former welterweight title challenger, Gilbert Burns in April of last year to boot, with his UFC 294 clash against Costa coming as his first at the middleweight limit since his 2020 Octagon debut against John Philips.
