The sixth number in the UFC middleweight rankings, Paolo Costa, named in an interview with Khamzata Chimaeva the best middleweight fighter from Russia.
Chimaev and Costa could have fought at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, but the fight was canceled due to an injury to the Brazilian fighter. On February 17 at UFC 298 in Anaheim, Costa will face former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
— You went to the Chimaev fight in Abu Dhabi and had a clash with Shovhal Churchaev there. What are your thoughts on this incident?
– Yes, it happened. As I understand it, this guy had nothing to do with Chimaev’s team. But the Khamzat fight itself wasn’t very good; he does not need to fight in the 77kg category and is expected to move up to 84kg.
– Do you want to fight against Khamzat Chimaev?
– Yes, I would really like to fight with him. I even went to Abu Dhabi, even though I was injured. From what I saw in his fight against Usman, he is not ready. Khamzat is still a little green, young as a fighter. So I think he needs to get a lot more wins before he can fight me. I’m almost ready to fight for the belt, and if he thinks he’s ready, then I’ll accept that fight too.
– Who is currently the strongest middleweight in Russia: Khamzat Chimaev, Ikram Aliskerov, Roman Kopylov, Aliaskhab Khizriev.
“Among them, I think Chimaev is the best,” Costa told .
Watch live broadcast of UFC 298, the main event of which will be a featherweight fight between Australian Alexander Volkanovski and Spanish representative Ilia Topuria, on February 18 from 2:30 p.m. (Moscow time) on the Match! Fighter”, on the federal television channel “”, broadcasting begins at 6:00 (Moscow time).
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
