Khamzat Chimaev believes he is one win away from a title fight in the UFC, expecting a call for a title fight if he beats Paulo Costa in his return to the middleweight division.
Khamzat Chimaev is of the belief that he is one victory short of vying for a championship title. However, he first has to take down Paulo Costa at UFC 294 which will take place in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21. This fight signals a return to the middleweight division for Chimaev after an earlier mistake during his weigh-in forced a reshuffling of UFC 279’s top three fights, thereby putting his welterweight run on hold.
It will be more than a year since Chimaev’s last battle in the ring when he faces off against Costa. During his hiatus, Israel Adesanya first lost, then regained, before losing the middleweight championship once again, this time to Sean Strickland at UFC 293. It appears the contender race for the title is quite open, and Chimaev’s confident that he is in line for the call to fight for the championship, provided he wins against Costa.
Taking a more assertive stance, Chimaev laid out his thoughts during a YouTube vlog. He told his audience, “Now, it’s my time. Smash that guy [Costa], then it doesn’t matter if it will be Izzy or Strickland or somebody else. We’re coming for them.” This determination is clear when he states, “Strickland, coming for him. He works hard, deserves it, the guy is always in the gym, now he got the belt. They are hiding that belt from me. Anyway, like I said, when I smash everybody, they have to give that belt to me.”
Impressing audiences at UFC 279 with a swift submission over Kevin Holland during a quickly arranged 180-pound catchweight bout, Chimaev has been exciting to watch. Despite usually fighting as a welterweight, he is not a stranger to the middleweight division. However, his upcoming match against Costa will be his first challenge against a ranked opponent at this weight. Chimaev is not phased by the change in class, stating, “It’s a different weight class. Different power, we eat different, not hungry anymore. Now, more training than before, more food, more energy, different power, different energy, that’s good.” He confidently ended on a note claiming, “That’s my real power, you know. The guys don’t understand that, but it’s waiting for them.”