Paulo Costa was not impressed with Khamzat Chimaev’s performance against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294.
During UFC 294, Khamzat Chimaev and Kamaru Usman faced off in a short notice fight at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Khamzat was originally scheduled to face Paulo Costa, but the latter had a serious elbow infection. Usman accepted the fight with 9 days of preparation. Despite an ultra dominant 1st round for Chimaev, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ made things competitive in the next 2 rounds. ‘Borz’ ultimately won the fight by majority decision.
Paulo Costa defeats Khamzat Chimaev
After the fight, Paulo Costa, who was present at the event, was interviewed by Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie. The Brazilian said he found nothing special in the exit of his rival Khamzat.
“It wasn’t good. The fight was horrible. Khamzat Chimaev looks horrible. Three horrible rounds. He fought a welterweight in short notice, the guy doesn’t even fight at middleweight. Usman is a true welterweight. Khamzat tried to finish him in the 1st round, but he couldn’t do it. Then he got taken out. Then I really believe Usman beat him for the next two rounds. What can I say about this, brother? He looked horrible. »
Costa: “I got a little sad because I told myself that I could have finished this bastard easily. It’s easy money. He is an immature fighter. He put all his energy into the 1st round. If he can’t finish the guy, he’s finished. I truly believe that if Usman had a few more weeks of training, two more weeks in his fight camp, he could have beaten him. In fact, I believe he at least got a draw. »
As Dana White announced before the fight, Khamzat Chimaev is set to face Sean Strickland for a shot at the middleweight title in his next appearance in the octagon.
