Paulo Costa isn’t satisfied that Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev will really meet within the cage, however his coach Eric Albarracin does have some ideas on who’d have the sting in that matchup.
“The Eraser” is busy making ready for a gathering with Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291, the place the Brazilian will look to win back-to-back fights for the primary time since 2019. Costa’s undefeated document ended when he challenged Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title at UFC 253, and after shedding his subsequent struggle to Marvin Vettori he acquired again into the win column with a Struggle of the Night time efficiency towards Luke Rockhold.
There’s been discuss that former UFC Welterweight Champion Usman may transfer as much as middleweight to face the undefeated Chimaev, and when requested concerning the struggle Costa deferred to Albarracin to offer a prediction.
“It’s exhausting to foretell trigger Kamaru’s one of many best of all time,” Albarracin stated on Henry Cejudo’s YouTube channel. “He was pound for pound, and Khamzat’s nonetheless rising. So we don’t know the way good Khamzat is. We all know how good Kamaru is. That’s the place I’m at with that.”
Eric Albarracin Cites Expertise As Being Edge Between Khamzat Chimaev And Kamaru Usman
No quantity of prompting from the interviewer may coax a prediction from Costa, however finally Albarracin stated he’d should aspect with Usman because of the power of his resume.
“I lean in direction of Kamaru for expertise. One factor you possibly can’t substitute is expertise. Expertise – that’s how older folks beat youthful folks, as a result of they know one thing that the opposite man doesn’t. Contained in the struggle, through the struggle, in the best second. They make one proper resolution and the opposite one makes the mistaken resolution they usually win the struggle. That’s what expertise does.”
Chimaev is at the moment the UFC’s #4-ranked welterweight contender, however the undefeated fighter missed weight by a big margin when he was booked to compete in the principle occasion of UFC 279 towards Nate Diaz. “Borz” ended up submitting Kevin Holland in co-main occasion catchweight bout, and it’s nonetheless unclear what weight class he plans to struggle at when he returns to the Octagon.
Usman is in a tough place after dropping back-to-back fights to Leon Edwards, which marked the first losses of his profession since his second professional struggle. “The Nigerian Nightmare” efficiently defended the UFC’s welterweight title on 5 events earlier than being head kicked by Edwards at UFC 278, and the 36-year-old could also be hoping a win over Chimaev may get him again into title rivalry at both welterweight or middleweight.
Learn Additionally: Khamzat Chimaev Expects Former Opponent To Beat ‘Sh*t’ Paulo Costa at UFC 291
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