Paulo Costa made a statement in his light heavyweight debut at UFC 327 on Saturday night and immediately used the spotlight to call out Khamzat Chimaev.
Costa knocked out the previously undefeated Azamat Murzakanov with a head kick in the third round of the co-main event at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. Murzakanov entered the fight at 16-0 before falling to Borrachinha in what was Costa's first appearance at 205 pounds.
Following the finish, Costa celebrated cageside with President Donald Trump before making his intentions clear in his post-fight interview.
"I have a lot of names, but I have beef with Chimaev," Costa said. "I call him 'Gourmet Chechen'. I'd like to fight him."
Costa indicated he would be open to fighting Chimaev at either middleweight or light heavyweight, leaving the weight class flexible based on what the UFC believes would make for the most compelling matchup. "We can do it here at light heavyweight. Whatever the UFC thinks is going to be an exciting fight," he said.
Chimaev has not competed since capturing the UFC Middleweight Championship last August, when he dominated Dricus du Plessis to win a unanimous decision at UFC 319. He is scheduled to make his first title defense against former champion Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey, on May 9.
If Chimaev successfully defends the belt, a showdown with Costa could realistically be on the table at either weight class. Costa's knockout of Murzakanov establishes him as a legitimate presence at light heavyweight while keeping his options open for a return to 185 pounds, where his rivalry with Chimaev first took root online.
