Paulo Costa dismissed claims that Khamzat Chimaev was ill during his loss to Sean Strickland, calling them attempts to discredit Strickland. Costa believes a rematch would be even more difficult for Chimaev.
Paulo Costa has weighed in on the debate surrounding Khamzat Chimaev's defeat to Sean Strickland, pushing back on narratives that illness was responsible for the result and predicting a rematch would go even worse for Chimaev.
Costa, ranked 13th in the middleweight division, was direct in dismissing the illness excuse. The 35-year-old Brazilian, who fights out of Team Borracha, carries a 16-4 record and is one of the division's most dangerous strikers, landing 6.26 significant strikes per minute at a 58 percent accuracy rate. He argued that crediting sickness for the loss amounts to an effort to undermine what Strickland actually accomplished.
Strickland, the reigning middleweight champion, improved to 31-7 with the victory. The 35-year-old American trains out of Xtreme Couture and has built his title reign on relentless output, averaging 6.04 significant strikes per minute with a 76-inch reach that makes him difficult to get comfortable against. He holds the belt as one of the busiest strikers in the division.
Chimaev entered the fight as the number-one-ranked middleweight and the tenth-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, carrying a 15-1 record and an elite grappling game that averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes. The 32-year-old from the United Arab Emirates had looked nearly unstoppable on his way up the rankings, but Strickland's performance left questions about those credentials.
Why it matters
- Costa's comments keep pressure on the post-fight narrative around Chimaev's first career loss
- A potential Chimaev-Strickland rematch carries significant divisional stakes given Chimaev's number-one ranking
- The style matchup pits Chimaev's elite wrestling and submission threat against Strickland's high-volume striking and championship experience
