Khamzat Chimaev is finally back and his most high-profile middleweight challenge is in front of him.
At UFC 294, Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) returns for his first fight since September 2022 when he takes on Paulo Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at UFC 294, Dana White announced Wednesday.The event takes place Oct. 21 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Chimaev, 29, missed weight in his most recent appearance, a quick submission win over Kevin Holland at UFC 279. In the weeks that followed the fight, Chimaev and his representatives discussed which weight would be best for him going forward. The parties ultimately settled on middleweight.
Since he burst into the international spotlight in the UFC in 2020, Chimaev has dominated all comers – with the exception of Gilbert Burns, who he still defeated by unanimous decision in an electrifying bout.
Costa, 32, was expected to face Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291 on July 29 in Salt Lake City. With Costa now facing Chimaev, Aliskerov (14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will instead fight Nassourdine Imavov (12-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) at UFC 294. It is unclear why the initial matchmaking never materialized.
Should Costa win, it’ll be his second victory in a row. He most recently competed at UFC 278 in August 2022 when he defeated Luke Rockhold by unanimous decision. The win came after consecutive losses to Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori.
Abu Dhabi we're back and we're bringing a STACKED card with us!!@DanaWhite just announced the first three fights for #UFC294 in October 🔥
[ Tickets on sales this week | @VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/9mgcbIwbB8
— UFC (@ufc) July 20, 2023
With the addition, the UFC 294 lineup now includes:
- Champion Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira – for lightweight title
- Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa
- Ikram Aliskerov vs. Nassourdine Imavov
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
