Adding his name to the list of fighters interested in competing at a potential event at The White House next year is UFC star Paulo Costa.
Before focusing on such a high-profile future event, former UFC title challenger Paulo Costa is set to return to the Octagon this Saturday at UFC 318 in New Orleans. He faces Roman Kopylov in what is a significant bout for the middleweight division.
While Costa is not overlooking Kopylov, he is prepared to make a major callout if he secures a victory, with his sights set on a potential fight at The White House.
Paulo Costa wants to revisit rivalry with previously scheduled foe at The White House
U.S. President Donald Trump recently garnered attention by announcing plans for the UFC to host an event at The White House during Fourth of July weekend next year. UFC CEO Dana White has since confirmed these plans, leading top fighters like Jon Jones and Conor McGregor to express their interest.
White can now add another prominent name, Paulo Costa, to the list of fighters keen on settling a long-standing score inside the Octagon.
During a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Costa was asked about his ideal opponent for a potential UFC booking at The White House.
“Chimaev. This son of a b—, I want to fight this guy,” Costa stated.
He elaborated, “It has to happen…I’ll call his name [out] after UFC 318, if God gives me this victory…he needs to fight me and I need to fight him. Because, look, I’ve tried to fight him for a long time. Since our beef inside the UFC PI, he has been avoiding to fight me for a long time. He always says no, and the UFC has tried to put this match together, for about two years…”
Costa continued, recounting the history: “The UFC said he doesn’t want to fight me…and the week I got my surgery, he sent a message to my girl. He acted like a woman, treated her [badly]. Said ‘I’m going to beat your husband’…he’s so emotional and acts like a woman. I respect women, but a man can’t act like a woman and be so erratic. He loses control very easily, and that’s the kind of thing that women do, not men. So I don’t respect him.”
Khamzat Chimaev is scheduled to face UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC 319 next month. The undefeated contender is returning to action after submitting former titleholder Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 in October.
Chimaev and Costa were previously scheduled to fight at UFC 294, but Costa withdrew due to injury. Chimaev then stepped in on short notice to defeat former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Khamzat Chimaev rumored to potentially retire if he wins the middleweight belt at UFC 319
If Chimaev were to capture the UFC middleweight title next month, one top contender believes the undefeated star might surprisingly retire from the sport. Caio Borralho recently shared a circulating rumor suggesting Chimaev`s intention to hang up his gloves should he win at UFC 319.
Costa, meanwhile, is focused on getting back into the win column this weekend after a loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 302 last year. His most recent victory was against former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold at UFC 278.
Despite their current paths and upcoming fights, Costa and Chimaev could potentially find themselves on a collision course in the future.
