The middleweight division just got exciting after UFC 287. Israel Adesanya defeated Alex Pereira by knocking him out in round 2 and won the belt. This result now brings the question of who is next in line for the title. Khamzat Chimaev missed weight at welterweight by a huge margin, and Dana White said he should go to middleweight. Since then, Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa have been in talks, but fans have no clear idea if a fight between them has been booked or not.
Alex Pereira is out of the title picture, as his next move is likely to move up to 205 pounds. Israel Adesanya said in the post-fight press conference that the score is now settled.
Khamzat Chimaev vs Paulo Costa Booked?
Khamzat Chimaev vs Paulo Costa has been in the works for a while now. Both the fighters shouldn’t have any problem accepting the fight. We haven’t officially got a word from the UFC if the fight is booked and for what date and which event.
It is yet to be decided if the fight will be the main event or not.
In the words of Chael Sonnen usually when two fighters go quiet after talking about each other it’s a sign that the fight has been booked. Interestingly, we haven’t heard a lot from either of the guys.
Paulo Costa recently signed a new deal with the UFC worth $4 Million according to his manager. Khamzat Chimaev’s last fight was scheduled to be against Nate Diaz but got cancelled. ‘Borz’ didn’t make weight and therefore had to fight Kevin Holland.
Paulo Costa’s last fight was in Salt Lake City against Luke Rockhold. The fight was a three-round war between both of them, and Costa emerged to be victorious in that fight.
Paulo Costa has only 2 losses in his MMA career to date. One was against the champ Israel Adesanya and one against Marvin Vettori.
Will the winner get a title shot?
The winner of this fight gets a title shot depending upon the result and how the fight goes. If Khamzat Chimaev wins the fight, he definitely gets the title shot at 185 pounds, as he would be a fresh opponent for Israel Adesanya.
Paulo Costa has fought the ‘Stylebender’ in the past, and Israel Adesanya needs new blood. All the top middleweights like Robert Whittekar, Marvin Vettori, Paulo Costa, have fought Izzy and lost. Khamzat Chimaev vs Israel Adesanya could be a great match up.
Dricus Du Plessis the number 6 ranked middleweight in the world has found himself in a feud over social media with Israel Adesanya.
Stylebender had a cold-blooded reply for him and wants this fight to happen in South Africa. However, he would like Du Plessis to get a good win before that.
What are your thoughts on the middleweight division?
