The UFC’s middleweight division is in a special place with Khamzat Chimaev atop the throne.
Chimaev, who defeated Dricus du Plessis to win the UFC middleweight title at UFC 319, has teased a possible move to light heavyweight after defending his title at least once. Nassourdine Imavov is the consensus No. 1 middleweight contender, but Chimaev has repeatedly turned down the fight against Imavov due to their history.
Chimaev’s continued hiatus opens the doors for other contenders, including Anthony Hernandez, who will face Sean Strickland at UFC Houston next year. Following a win at UFC 318, Paulo Costa called out Chimaev after months of bad blood between the two middleweights.
If Costa wants to take a step closer to fighting Chimaev, he will first have to pass a formidable test, as reported earlier this week.
Paulo Costa vs. Brunno Ferreira in the works for UFC 326
As first reported by Brazilian MMA journalist Leo GuimaraesCosta returns on March 7 at UFC 326 in Las Vegas against rising middleweight prospect Brunno Ferreira.
Ferreira (15-2-0) returns to the Octagon after three straight wins, including the most recent unanimous decision victory over Marvin Vettori. The talented Brazilian missed weight for the first time in his career ahead of UFC 323.
Ferreira has turned the page on his previous defeat to Abus Magomedov in October, which marked the first loss of his career inside the cage. He then presented Jackson McVey and Armen Petrosyan with back-to-back armbars.
Costa has lost two of his last three UFC fights, but got back on track with a win over Roman Kopylov at UFC 318. He lost back-to-back fights to former champions Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker entering the Kopylov fight.
Costa is looking to regain the form that made him one of the top middleweight contenders in the world, with wins over the likes of Uriah Hall, Johny Hendricks and Yoel Romero.
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