Khamzat Chimaev vs Paulo Costa: Middleweight Clash Set for UFC 294

Soon it’s finally time for Khamzat Chimaev to return to the octagon as he takes on bitter rival Paulo Costa in his middleweight comeback at UFC 294. The grand event will take place in Saudi Arabia on October 21. In his last fight, the Swedish rising star delivered another dominant performance against Kevin Holland in their catchweight bout. However, concerns about weight cuts and a lack of willing opponents have led to a longer hiatus. The match against the seventh-ranked middleweight Costa will be the first time in over a year that fans will see “Borz” in the cage.

Ahead of his eagerly awaited comeback, the UFC star has been seen training with Khamzat “Borz” Maaev, his undefeated lookalike who competes in Brave CF – where Chimaev himself fought earlier in his career. Brave CF shared an image of their training session on Twitter.

Same same https://t.co/bsvUQHlKQl

— BRAVE Combat Federation (@bravemmaf) August 21, 2023

In his most recent fight, Maaev knocked out his opponent Elie Farah in just 41 seconds at a Brave event in June. The fight marked his debut in the organization, and the undefeated talent is projected to have a bright future. Watch the video of the finish here!

Maaev has the potential to join Chimaev in the world-leading MMA organization UFC, as he remains undefeated as a professional with a record of 3-0, all victories coming by finishes. Both fighters originate from the Russian republic of Chechnya and share the fighter name “Borz”. The striking similarities don’t end there; Maaev also competes in the welterweight division, a weight class that was previously Khamzat’s focus. Perhaps we’ll see Khamzat vs. Khamzat in a few years?