"He realized I was not joking"- Paulo Costa details fresh angle on series of events preceding attack at UFC 294

UFC middleweight Paulo Costa has detailed the series of events preceding the attack at UFC 294.

This past weekend, the UFC returned to Abu Dhabi, where Costa was initially supposed to fight Khamzat Chimaev in the co-main event. However, he had to pull out because of an injury and was replaced by Kamaru Usman. Despite not being able to fight, the Brazilian was in attendance at the Etihad Arena, where he got involved in a physical altercation.

Costa was reportedly insulted by a fan, who was later identified as professional MMA fighter Shovkhal Churchaev. Speaking about the brawl during a recent interview with Submission Radio, Costa detailed how he grabbed hold of Churchaev upon returning from the washroom, which ultimately led to a huge brawl. He said:

"I went to the restroom a couple of fights after and he was there in the third row and when I come back I stopped there and said, 'Hey brother, come here. Let's talk'. And he started to come but then he fused, I think he realized I wasn't joking and then I grabbed him and some guys jumped in to help him. One guy tried to jump the fence but just small guys, they could do nothing against me."

Catch Costa's comments in the video below (3:00):

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Paulo Costa agrees with Conor McGregor's claim that Khamzat Chimaev needs to prove more to get a title shot

A win over the former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, who stepped in on short notice, shouldn't be enough for Khamzat Chimaev to get a title shot, according to Conor McGregor.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) that has been deleted now, Conor McGregor urged the UFC to rebook Costa vs. Chimaev and said:

"Ya know what, chimaev may need to prove more for a 185lb title shot for me. He must beat a true 185er. Rebook Chimaev vs Costa."

Reacting to the same, Paulo Costa seemingly agreed with Conor McGregor and had this to say on Twitter:

"Conor is right, put at least a legit Middleweight fighter. He fought nobody a MW. Only small 170 in short notice. Let’s go in December, I thinks is time enough don’t u think so?"

Check out the post below: