Khamzat Chimaev’s claim that no one wants to fight him is being challenged by Paulo Costa and Belal Muhammad.
Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) recently stated his desire to return to the octagon, but the promotion has yet to secure him an opponent. “The Wolf” is willing to fight at either middleweight or welterweight, but he claims four opponents have declined fights with him.
Former 185-pound title challenger Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and surging 170-pound contender Muhammad (22-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) both responded to Chimaev’s statement in the comments section of an MMA Junkie Instagram post, calling for a fight with Chimaev in the aftermath of his 2022 wins over Gilbert Burns and Kevin Holland.
Costa last fought in August, when he won a bloody decision over Luke Rockhold at UFC 278. He was linked to a fight with Robert Whittaker at UFC 283 in Perth, Australia, on Feb. 11, but the pairing fell apart when Costa revealed he never signed for the fight and is currently on the final fight of his contract with the UFC.
Muhammad extended his unbeaten streak in the UFC to nine fights with a TKO victory over Sean Brady at UFC 281. He’s currently pushing for a rematch with champion Leon Edwards, but he’s also expressed a desire to target Chimaev on multiple occasions.
