Paulo Costa recently caused a buzz among fans when he recently shared a picture of himself online.
What caught the attention of many was the wrist accessory that appeared to be a Rolex.
Inquisitive fans didn’t waste time and one asked Costa directly if he was indeed wearing a Rolex. To this, Costa responded by revealing that UFC president Dana White had gifted him the luxurious watch as a token of appreciation for accepting a ‘fake Ikram Aliskerov’ clash.
He wrote: “Dana gifted me for that fake ikram fight.”
Paulo Costa’s path to UFC 294 has been filled with intriguing twists and turns. After signing a lucrative deal with the UFC, Costa was originally set to face Ikram Aliskerov.
They were scheduled to meet at UFC 291 in the Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah. However, fate had other plans. The bout with Aliskerov was eventually cancelled – just 10 days before the event Costa’s new match with Chimaev was announced.
However, Paulo Costa will now be going head-to-head with the formidable Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294 in October.
Khamzat Chimaev has been making waves in the MMA world with his bold and energetic combat sports style. The Chechen-Swede combatant is undefeated with an impressive 12-0 professional record. On the other hand, Costa has a professional record of 14-2.
In an interview with TNT Sports during UFC London, Chimaev expressed his confidence in facing Paulo Costa. He vowed to make Costa cry in the octagon, as he had done with many other opponents in the past.
He said: “I’m going to make that guy cry in the cage, like I always do…I make everyone scared. [Kamaru] Usman said, ‘He’s the boogie man,’ and all these guys think that about me, but when it comes to the fight, they have some surgeries, some problems.”
The booking of the UFC 294 bout between Paulo Costa and Khamzat Chimaev came after Costa’s persistent callouts to face the rising star. The matchup presents an excellent opportunity for Chimaev to solidify his position as a top contender in the middleweight division.