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In the aftermath of UFC 279, Khamzat Chimaev seems somewhat directionless. The undefeated Chechen sensation was originally scheduled to headline the pay-per-view with Nate Diaz. Their bout was booked as a title eliminator and Chimaev was all but certain to win in order to fast-track him into a title fight with the reigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards.
Unfortunately, a shocking weigh-in failure on Chimaev's part ruined the promotion's plans. With no choice but to reshuffle the matchups on the card, the UFC had 'Borz' face Kevin Holland in a catchweight bout.
While Khamzat Chimaev emerged victorious, his inability to cut to the welterweight limit was highly scrutinized. Many called for Chimaev to make a permanent move to the middleweight division.
If Khamzat Chimaev does indeed make the 185lbs weight class his permanent home, it might serve his championship pursuits better than a stay at welterweight. Furthermore, there's already a matchup waiting for him at middleweight. Given his issues with former UFC middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa, it is the easiest bout to book for the Chechen phenom. This list details 5 reasons why the UFC should consider scheduling a matchup.
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#5. It is a new rivalry
Before the events leading up to the UFC 279 weigh-ins, few would have ever imagined that a rivalry between Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev.
When Chimaev was still scheduled to face Nate Diaz in the main event, Paulo Costa was asked about his prediction for the bout. Costa, who was training with Nate Diaz's friend Jake Shields, was quick to dismiss Chimaev as a fake gangster before branding him a "gourmet Chechen."
In a recent appearance at Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour, Costa took more shots at 'Borz':
According to Costa, Chimaev stood no chance against Diaz. Following Costa's statement, both fighters crossed paths at the UFC Performance Institute.
Costa was training with Jake Shields, while Chimaev was outside the cage staring them down. A confrontation ensued with 'Borz' threatening to attack the Brazilian bruiser. Meanwhile, Costa merely laughed, brushing off Chimaev's threats as insincere. After Chimaev's poor weight cut, he was demoted to the co-main event.
The Chechen sensation emerged victorious against Kevin Holland, but Costa took credit for causing the weigh-in fiasco. 'Borrachinha' claimed to have enraged and stressed Chimaev so much that he couldn't make weight.
Afterwards, Costa challenged him to a fight at middleweight. Given their past, a potential bout would be very easy to promote.
#4. This is the ideal time for Khamzat Chimaev to move to middleweight
Often-times, fighters change weight classes when they're at the end of a string of defeats. Hoping for renewed success, fighters usually change teams or move to a new division. It is rare for a mixed martial artist who is yet to taste defeat to make the decision to pursue success in a different weight class. Not only is Khamzat Chimaev still undefeated, he is at the very peak of his physical powers.
After the difficult weight cut he endured, Chimaev was advised by many to abandon the welterweight division. While 'Borz' once made weight on 10 days notice, that was before he fell victim to COVID. According to his head coach, Khamzat Chimaev continues to suffer from lingering effects after recovering from the disease.
Regardless, if Chimaev is suffering from post-COVID issues that have rendered cutting weight more difficult than usual, he should move to middleweight sooner rather than later. He's approaching his thirties when cutting weight becomes even more difficult. The potential impact these issues might have on his body if he suffers another bad weight cut can be avoided if he commits to 185lbs now.
#3. The matchup will answer questions for both fighters
There are lingering questions revolving around a proper title run for Khamzat Chimaev in the middleweight division. Chimaev is a powerful wrestler whose versatility in pursuing takedowns renders him exceptionally dangerous. 'Borz' uses round kicks and front kicks to create openings for his takedowns. Front kicks straighten an opponent's posture when they land on the midsection.
With his opponent's stance narrowed, Chimaev leaves them poorly equipped to widen their base to defend takedowns. Similarly, Khamzat Chimaev uses round kicks to draw counterpunches from opponents who hope to catch him one-legged for an easy knockdown. Once his opponents square their hips, overexposing them as they commit to a punch, 'Borz' ducks under their punch for a quick takedown.
While the middleweight division lacks strong wrestlers, Paulo Costa is difficult to outwrestle. No one has managed to successfully hold Costa down as the Brazilian even flung Yoel Romero off of himself after conceding a takedown. If Chimaev faces Costa, it will reveal how the undefeated Chechen's wrestling will fare against top middleweights.
Additionally, it will identify exactly where Costa stands in the middleweight division. While he defeated Luke Rockhold last month, he was engulfed in a 2-fight losing streak at the hands of Marvin Vettori and Israel Adesanya.
#2. It's the only middleweight fight that makes sense for Costa
Paulo Costa is at a crossroads in his career. He was once undefeated with a signature win over Yoel Romero.
Prior to facing Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight championship, Costa had established himself as a serious contender for UFC gold. However, his efforts at UFC 253 ended in disaster as he suffered a one-sided defeat. Worse still, seconds after being TKO'd by 'The Last Stylebender', Costa was on the receiving end of a post-fight humiliation.
Afterwards, the general assumption was that 'Borrachinha' was intent on rebuilding himself with the hope of working his way back into title contention. Unfortunately, in his very next bout against Marvin Vettori, Costa abandoned his weight cut and forced the promotion's hand.
Vettori agreed to face the Brazilian bruiser at light heavyweight and Costa ended up losing the matchup via unanimous decision.
Despite his recent win over Luke Rockhold at UFC 278, there is no clear path moving forward for Costa. However, a matchup with Khamzat Chimaev makes perfect sense as it answers key questions about Costa's place in the middleweight division while featuring an easily promotable rivalry.
#1. The matchup is versatile
The potential matchup between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa is versatile from a booking standpoint. The two fighters are well-known enough so they can serve as either a co-main event for a weak PPV card or as the main event for one of the UFC's Fight Night cards. The matchup is certain to draw viewers who are eager to follow both fighters' trajectories.
While the UFC works hard to provide interesting pay-per-view events for fight fans, sometimes a shortage of high-profile fighters leads to subpar matchups that fail to draw fan interest. Due to Khamzat Chimaev's recent visibility from almost fighting Nate Diaz and all of the drama surrounding his out-of-cage antics, fans will tune in to any bout that features him.
However, given Paulo Costa's recent confrontation with Chimaev at the UFC Performance Institute, there's a surge of interest in a matchup between the two. Thus, a high-profile bout involving both men is sure to fill seats.
