If Khamzat wins the belt Paulo Costa is the most likely contender

[Myrddin Wild]

Deserving contenderz will bend a knee to whomever creates more buzz for Borz defense of teh title.

Teh easier teh better for Borz & teh UFC who is invested in having a dominant champ. So teh further down teh rankingz teh better... & an OG addz legitimacy to being ranked lower.

I think Costa'z plan waz very carefully worked out. Wifey'z on board & probably PM'ed Borz for that very reason.

 

[seandamon211]

Khamzat went the distance with a welter weight. I don’t like his chances moving up. His gas tank is questionable especially after gassing against a welterweight. Weather the initial storm from khamzat and the top guys at middleweight will destroy him.

 

[Elvis.]

Being the most deserving athlete in line for a title shot means basically fuck all ,
Hatred , trash talk , story line , these are the things title shits are made of , Chael talked his way into a bunch of championship matches .
Paulo is close to a title fight , if Khamzat wins the belt and Paulo can position himself to have a physical altercation with him at the event , then he’s the number one contender for sure

 

[Dionysian]

Dustin got his last title shot with a record almost similar to that. If everyone else gets booked and are fighting each other, timelines might match for them.

Let me know when Costa gets a send-off as a legend of the sport and a retirement ceremony that leads him into being a "future HOFer"

 

[GrantB13]

Not if we're trying to be legitimate.

 

[The XL]

Could possibly happen as a late replacement fight if someone falls through but I doubt they'd book it straight up

 

[FreedomCricket]

I agree. The UFC is prize fighting, not a meritocracy.

If you want merit fighting, check out PFL tournaments... and the winners there won't even crack the top 5 in the UFC on a good day.

I say unless the Caio/Frenchy fight ends fairly spectacularly, Costa has a legitimate shot at fighting Khamzat before the end of the year, early next year.

At the very least it gives Khamzat a title defence opp.

 

[KO Shotz]

 

[NoStoneUnturned]

Costa has eight fights in eight years. This is not happening.

 

[Goat Poster]

Thread 'Sean Strickland’s Suspension Extended for Attacking Fighter at Regional Event'

Jul 23, 2025

​

It will be a little bit longer before Sean Strickland learns his fate.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Wednesday voted to extend Strickland’s suspension after the former UFC middleweight champion entered the cage to attack a fighter at Tuff-N-Uff 145 on June 29.

Strickland initially received a temporary suspension on July 3, and now he won’t learn of any official sanctions — including a fine and longer suspension — until August at the earliest. That will limit the UFC’s ability to book Strickland, a popular callout...

• Kung Fu Kowboy
• Replies: 31
• Forum: News, Articles, Interviews

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Piece by piece ....

 

[Greyscale]

If

 

[Adamant]

You mean Imavov?

 

[skylolow]

Costa vs Khamzat...................hahahahhahahahahha both those guys you have about a 30% chance of even making it to fight night. Put them together sounds like a night mare for a promoter. Can you have two guys on stand by to step in????