"Hunting the African kings" - Fans excited as Khamzat Chimaev sets sight on Israel Adesanya with an ominous warning

Khamzat Chimaev has gotten combat sports fans buzzing after alluding to the fact he's targeting Israel Adesanya next.

Chimaev made a successful return to the middleweight division when he faced short-notice opponent Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. The pair fought in a highly entertaining and close contest, which saw 'Borz' get the nod via unanimous decision.

Following his victory, Chimaev has taken to Instagram, where it appears as though he wants to face former middleweight champion Adesanya next. 'The Last Stylebender' is currently taking a hiatus from MMA after losing the belt to Sean Strickland in one of the year's biggest upsets. Khamzat Chimaev shared:

A potential clash between the two UFC stars has understandably gotten fans buzzing, especially with the highly anticipated UFC 300 card close on the horizon. One fan stated that it appears as though Chimaev is hunting the 'Nigerian Kings':

"He's Hunting the African kings"

Another fan wrote:

"Bros on a mission to wipe out every Nigerian on the roster"

Whilst some fans were happy to see the callout, another fan wants to see Chimaev run it back against Usman, especially when both fighters have had a full training camp. They wrote:

"I think Usman deserves a rematch. He took that short notice fight at a different weight class against a younger and stronger opponent so it is KC's time to show gratitude and agree for a rematch. We need to have a level playing field to decide who is the better fighter."

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Paulo Costa states he is pushing for a rescheduled bout against Khamzat Chimaev

UFC middleweight Paulo Costa has revealed he is still eager to face Khamzat Chimaev.

'Borrachinha' was due to face 'Borz' at UFC 294 and make his long-awaited return to the octagon. However, the Brazilian was ruled out of the bout after contracting a serious staph infection in his elbow. Costa's subsequent withdrawal from the bout meant he would not compete in the octagon for the entirety of 2023.

Now, after recovering from the infection and returning to full health, Costa has been confirmed to be facing Robert Whittaker at UFC 298 next year.

The future bout against Whittaker hasn't appeared to change Costa's mind as the Brazilian stated on X that he still wants to face Khamzat Chimaev. He wrote:

"I have been persistently telling the UFC to reschedule this fight for UFC Saudi Arabia, I can’t see a best main event of 5 rounds for it right now cause it’s make sense in Middle East. I would love beat his [Khamzat Chimaev] ass over there . but it’s looks like gourmet chenchen doesn't want that smoke 💨"