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Paulo Costa wants to fight Khamzat Chimaev next.

Longtime UFC middleweight contender and current light heavyweight Paulo Costa called out Khamzat Chimaev for what he says is a ‘superfight.’

Costa, who has spent most of his career in the UFC middleweight division, moved up to light heavyweight for his last bout, and he had a spectacular knockout when he finished undefeated contender Azamat Murzakanov with a third-round head kick at UFC 327. It was one of the biggest wins of Costa’s MMA career to date, and earned him the No. 7 ranking in the UFC light heavyweight division as a result. Due to his previous accomplishments at 185 lbs, Costa is still ranked in the middleweight division, albeit in the final, No. 15 slot in the top-15 rankings.

Despite such an incredible victory at 205 lbs, Costa has admitted he is open to returning to 185 lbs. Really, for Costa, it’s all about the biggest fights possible, and for the Brazilian, a title fight against the UFC middleweight champion Chimaev is the fight that he craves the most out of any available.

“I want to put on the best fights, the ones the public wants to see, superfights. (Costa vs. Chimaev) is one of the biggest fights that can happen in the UFC today,” Costa told ESPN.

In Costa’s opinion, the fact that he is coming off such an incredible victory in his last bout gives him the right to jump over other, higher-ranked middleweight contenders and take on Chimaev.

“Today I am one of the only ones at the top coming off a win; most come from a loss,” Costa said.

Khamzat Chimaev Fights Sean Strickland at UFC 328

Chimaev will look to defend his middleweight belt for the first time when he takes on his arch-rival Strickland at UFC 328, which takes place on May 9 in Newark, New Jersey. The middleweight champion has not fought since he beat Dricus Du Plessis last summer at UFC 319 to win the title, so it is a long time coming when he fights Strickland next month. Chimaev is undefeated in MMA with a 15-0 record and is considered one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world today. However, he has been relatively inactive in recent years, fighting on average only once a year over the past five years.

Looking at the UFC middleweight rankings, Chimaev will likely fight Nassourdine Imavov next should he beat Strickland at UFC 328. However, after that, the division is wide open, potentially allowing someone with flashy finishing ability like Costa to sneak into the title picture.

Paulo Costa Felt Snubbed of a Bonus at UFC 327

Despite scoring an insane head kick knockout over Murzakanov at UFC 327, Costa was not the recipient of a $100,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus, though he did earn a $25,000 bonus for collecting a finish.

“I was wronged, it was a spectacular performance. I dominated the fight, I got the knockout, it was a bonus-worthy performance,” Costa said.

He also felt that the media should have ranked him higher than No. 7 at light heavyweight after knocking out Murzakanov.

“Seventh place in the ranking does not reflect the magnitude of what I accomplished,” Costa said.