"Only way he could become a champ" - Khamzat Chimaev posts bizarre meme showing Paulo Costa turning into Amanda Nunes, fans react

Khamzat Chimaev has fired shots at Paulo Costa online following a recent taunt from the Brazilian.

The pair have gone back-and-forth in the past, and they almost came to blows at the UFC Performance Institute last year.

'Borrachinha' underwent hair replacement therapy in Turkey last year, and Chimaev used a photo of Costa following the procedure to poke fun at him. 'Borz' posted a rather unusual meme that included a before-and-after series of photos that included Amanda Nunes, who appears to have caught some collateral damage.

Khamzat Chimaev posted the following:

Fans reacted in a variety of ways, with many finding the meme hilarious. Others took pity on Amanda Nunes, who was clearly caught in the crossfire between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa. See the comments below:

"Makes a lot of sense only way he could become a champ"

@yeabedo said this:

"What did Amanda do though"

@LUFCJB took aim at Brendan Schaub's recent blunder of mistaking Alexandre Pantoja for Adriano Martins, the man who knocked out Islam Makhachev.

"Brendan Schaub (unironically): You know Amanda Nunes used to be Paolo Costa, right?"

@combatmatchups said:

"What will blow your mind is Amanda = A Man Duh! They’re trolling u"

@mynameisgary016 said this:

"Who made this meme. Own up??"

@themaximumpower tweeted:

"Paulo's not man enough"

Screenshot of fan reactions to Chimaev's tweet

Khamzat Chimaev has not competed since September 2022, and his inactivity is a stark contrast to the manner in which 'Borz' began his UFC career.

In his first two UFC fights, Chimaev broke the promotional record for the quickest turnaround between wins, at just 10 days. 'Borz' is currently 6-0 inside the promotion, and fans are eagerly awaiting his return to the octagon.

---

Jalin Turner opens up on "crazy" training sessions with Khamzat Chimaev

Jalin Turner is one of the most promising lightweight contenders right now. He is set to face Dan Hooker on the main card of UFC 290 this weekend, and 'The Tarantula' will be hoping to bounce back well from a narrow decision loss to Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 285.

In preparation for his bout with Hooker, Turner spent time training with Khamzat Chimaev in Thailand. During his pre-fight media appearance, 'The Tarantula' was asked to detail his experience of training with Chimaev. He said this:

"Man that was crazy. Khamzat's good, Khamzat is legit. I learned a lot from that dude in the couple of sessions that we had. He's a cool dude, strong fighter, great grappling, good striking too. Khamzat's dope..."

Watch the video below: