Why Jared Cannonier leans toward Paulo Costa to beat Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294

Jared Cannonier expects Paulo Costa to pose a serious threat to Khamzat Chimaev.

Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) meets Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in a middleweight bout Oct. 21 at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. Most of Chimaev’s opponents have struggled to fend off his grappling, but former title challenger Cannonier believes Costa can hang with him on the ground.

“That’s a good fight, right? That’s a really good fight,” Cannonier told Helen Yee. “We haven’t seen much of Costa on the ground because he’s no slouch on the ground, you know what I mean? I guess he’d rather be on the feet punching and kicking at people than using his high-level skills on the ground.”

According to BetMGM, Costa is a +260 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the Brazilian would win $260 profit. Chimaev is a -350 favorite, meaning a $350 bet would be needed on “Borz” to return $100 profit. If Cannonier was to put money on the fight, he’d pick Costa for the upset. He thinks Chimaev is yet to deal with someone who has “Borrachinha’s” size.

“If I was a betting man, I would lean more toward Costa in that one,” Cannonier said. “He’s a big guy. We haven’t seen Khamzat compete against a guy of that size, that stature, and of that skill level, as well. But, as in every combat situation, Khamzat’s got the skills to pay the bills, as well. That’s going to be a fun fight to watch, that’s for damn sure. Interesting fight, especially considering the position that that will put either of those guys in.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.