Does Costa Against Usman Make Any Sense?!

Paulo Costa has won just a singular fight since August 2019. He’s lost three in the same duration, putting him down the UFC middleweight standings. He is currently ranked as the No.7 contender, but many MMA news sites and fans believe he should be rated much lower than that.

How does he re-ascend the rankings? Fighting and defeating another middleweight would be an ample start. Therefore, having him fight the makeshift middleweight, Kamaru Usman begs more questions than answers. If Costa wins, Usman isn’t even ranked in the middleweight division. Sure, it’s a decent name to tick off, but it accomplishes very little for him long term. It’s a dangerous fight for him because if he loses, it puts Costa’s credentials firmly under the microscope as a non-traditional middleweight could defeat him at his own game. He is truly making for a lose-lose situation.

Usman Needs to Earn Third Fight with Edwards

In Kamaru Usman’s heart of hearts, he wants that trilogy fight with Leon Edwards. He might have lost the first two meetings, but they were closely contested. On the right day, he could defeat him. Unfortunately for Usman, Edwards will make the Nigerian work for a third match, as he’s defeated Colby Covington since knocking off Usman twice.

To earn it, Usman must show the British fighter and the wider MMA community something new. He needs to cement his place as the top contender for the strap. There might not be a better way of doing that than fighting Shavkat Rakhmonov. The Kazakh fighter is 18-0, having finished all his UFC fights with seemingly no issue. If Kamaru derails this hype train, he returns to the big time. If he loses, perhaps it’s time to accept his place as a lower-card talent or call it a day.

It’s worth remembering that Usman won gold medals in NCAA wrestling competitions in his youth. Given that the UFC is now owned by the TKO corporation, which also manages the WWE, could the Nigerian transition his fight skills to the professional wrestling circuit? Given the global deal that TKO has secured for the wrestling product, he would undoubtedly be a draw for African audiences.

Everyone Wants Chimaev Against Costa

Does Dana White listen to the fans? You can make your assessment of that. However, the general vibe amongst MMA news websites and the general online community is that Chimaev and Costa should settle their differences in the cage. The Brazilian has been very vocal about Chimaev’s resume, saying that he: ‘has no balls’ and only wants ‘easy fights’—outrageous claims from a man who is 1-3 in the last five years.

Chimaev said he should be fit and healthy to fight again in late April, giving Costa ample time to prepare for this fight. Realistically, Costa needs this. Chimaev is the fastest-rising middleweight in the UFC and is 13-0 in his overall record. He stopped Li Jingliang in his UFC PPV debut and made Kevin Holland tap out before going all five rounds with Usman. There’s no doubt that Chimaev will get a title shot in 2024 or 2025 at the latest. It’s down to him on how he wants to keep busy before that opportunity arises.

Costa might be ranked higher than Chimaev – who is currently No.11 in the division rankings, but the South American would be the underdog on form. It’s a fight that Costa probably needs more as he has zero momentum, and the Russian-born fighter has all of it. This could explain why Costa is baiting Chimaev so much, trying to lure him into a fight.

By Dean McHugh.