Paulo Costa thinks Khamzat Chimaev will help him get his groove back.
Earlier this month, Costa lost a split decision to Sean Strickland in the co-main event of UFC 302. It was an underwhelming performance from Costa, who showed none of his trademark aggression and pressure. Speaking Monday on The MMA Hour, Costa said that’s been an issue for him lately, one he believes has cost him dearly.
“I feel like these two fights, against [Robert] Whittaker and against Sean Strickland, were very winnable fights, and I didn’t win,” Costa said. “My thoughts are, they’re very tough guys, the best on the planet, top one and top two I think. I could win those fights, but I didn’t do enough to win.
“[Whittaker] is an amazing fighter and I did a very good first round, almost knocked him out, but in the second and the third, I didn’t pressure. I didn’t put down the accelerator pedal to run above him and pressure him and try to knock him out. I was more boxing and doing footwork and kicks, but not really pressuring him. That’s what I should have done against Whittaker.
“Next, Sean Strickland wasn’t a good fight for [either] of us. Neither me or him. I don’t think that was a fight that people liked to watch. I’m very upset about that fight, about my performance, and about his performance as well, because I’m not this kind of fighter. I’m not a point fighter. I could not perform very, very well against Strickland. I think I did better against Whittaker than Strickland, but Strickland has a very weird style.
“He’s a very difficult guy to his his face as well, because his guard is very effective. He’s weird, he’s different, but very effective. He knows how to do that very well.”
Costa started his career with 13 straight victories, including five in the UFC, earning his way to a 2020 title shot against Israel Adesanya. Adesanya then used Costa’s aggression against him, finishing “Borrachinha” in the second round. Since then, Costa has had a tough run, going just 1-3 in his past four fights. But while the losses hurt, Costa said it’s the change in his performances that is more upsetting, and he promises to fix that for his next fight.
“So I’m upset about the loss, but I’m very upset about my performance,” Costa said. “I talked to UFC, Hunter [Campbell] and Dana [White], I promised them I’d bring back the old Paulo. That guy who moves forward, very aggressive, very dangerous all the time, throw punches and kicks, and this is my promise to myself and to them. Because I think I heard a lot of criticism about my style, even when I was only winning fights. When I was 13-0, the people talked bad about me, and I think I heard too much from these guys.
“They are right at some point that I’m not the best guy to do that, because I know how to move forward and how to bring [aggression] to fights. But this is a good thing! It’s not a bad thing. Because not everybody can do what I can do, move forward. So why should I change? I’m not comparing myself with Mike Tyson, but Mike Tyson just moved forward in his prime. ... People didn’t raise the question, ‘Why can’t Mike Tyson fight like Muhammad Ali?’ Because they’re two different people, two different fighters.
“So I promised Dana, Hunter, my team, myself, I will move forward. I will bring back the old Paulo that doesn’t care for points.”
And Costa believes there’s a perfect opponent to bring out the best in him: Khamzat Chimaev.
Costa and Chimaev have a long-standing feud and were even scheduled to face each other at UFC 294 until an elbow infection forced Costa out of the bout. The two were then rumored to be fighting this summer until Costa got matched up with Strickland while Chimaev was booked against Whittaker. However, just last week, Chimaev was forced out of his scheduled fight with Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia due to illness, and now that both men are available, Costa thinks that’s the fight to make once Chimaev is feeling better.
“This is what I want,” Costa said. “But not only me. I want to bring the fight that people want to see. It’s very simple. Of course, they ask me who I want to fight next, I want to fight for the title. It’s obvious. But more important than this, I like to be and I’m trying to be the most entertaining fighter I can be. So I thought this fight against Sean would be very fun, but it wasn’t. It was boring. But next, the fight I think makes sense to bring a lot of entertainment, the fight would be fun, would be against Chimaev. This is perfect.
“He’s the perfect kind of fighter to bring back that old Paulo, to bring back the [aggression], to bring back the ferocity. I’m looking for that. ... I can’t wait to bring back this because I need redemption. I’m so upset. Nobody is more upset than myself when I do a bad fight against Sean. I’m not talking about losses. Losses come and go.
“But I’m upset about myself. I need that fight and Chimaev is perfect guy. I think he’s a little bit crazy, so this will be a very fun fight.”
