Paulo Costa warns Khamzat Chimaev to avoid ‘tragic’ light heavyweight run: “This is going to be even worse for him”

Paulo Costa has a warning for Khamzat Chimaev, and he advises the reigning 205-pound champion to stay away from light heavyweight.

Costa recently moved up in weight to face Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327. “Borrachinha” scored a third-round TKO finish. While Costa initially didn’t commit to making the 205-pound move permanent, he recently suggested that he’ll stick around at light heavyweight.

Costa joined Submission Radio, and the idea of fighting Chimaev at his new weight class intrigues him (via MMAFighting).

“I wish he comes to 205,” Costa said. “I’m gonna be here with my arms open, waiting for him.”

While Costa is excited about the thought of facing Chimaev at 205 pounds, he warns that it would be a bad move for “Borz.”

“Oh man, this is going to be even worse for him,” Costa said. “On 205, I’m a monster, you know? I don’t need to burn any muscle. I don’t need to sacrifice any muscle for my body to make 185. At 205, I have full secret juice power. Yeah, that’s gonna be tragic for him. Tragic.”

Chimaev is busy focusing on his first UFC middleweight title defense. He is scheduled to collide with Sean Strickland in the UFC 328 main event. The championship clash will be held inside the Prudential Center in New Jersey on May 9.

As for Costa, he may have entered the light heavyweight ranks at the perfect time. During the same event where Costa put Murzakanov away, Carlos Ulberg captured the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship by knocking Jiri Prochazka out. Ulberg will be on the shelf for a while after suffering a torn ACL, which could open the door for Costa to enter title contention.

Do you think Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa will eventually get a chance to settle their differences inside the Octagon? Drop a comment and share your opinion in the comments below.