Gilbert Burns subjected Khamzat Chimaev to the toughest test of his mixed martial arts career, as he is the only opponent that “Borz” has not finished. The No. 4 ranked welterweight is set to make his return after more than a year of inactivity when he faces Paulo Costa at UFC 294 in a fight he will enter as the heavy favorite.
Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa will face off in the co-main event of UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on October 21. Chimaev will make his comeback at middleweight after several years, while Costa, ranked No. 6, hopes to climb the rankings and get closer to the title.
No. 5 welterweight Gilbert Burns fought Khamzat Chimaev in a war at UFC 273. The Brazilian knows the dangers ‘Borz’ poses in the octagon. For him, Paulo Costa must make sure he is ready for the Chimaev fight.
“Costa is a big guy, but he doesn’t have the heart that I have,” Burns told MiddleEasy. “He doesn’t have the Jiu-Jitsu, the get-ups, the submission threat that makes Khamzat not want to fight. He’s a big, strong man, if I had to guess…it’s a 50/50 fight. If Khamzat is able to take him down, it will be a tough evening for Costa. »
Costa will step into the cage after a win over Luke Rockhold at UFC 278. He signed a new contract with the UFC after his planned fight with Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291 was canceled. Chimaev hasn’t fought since he submitted Kevin Holland at UFC 279. He was originally supposed to fight Nate Diaz at welterweight before missing the weigh-in.
Check out Paulo Costa‘s comments on him or Khamzat Chimaev fighting for the title below (starting at the 30:13 mark):
