Gilbert Burns predicts Khamzat Chimaev vs Paulo Costa

• UFC

The middleweight clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa is just around the corner; a lot of excitement has already been built around the UFC 294 event. The outcome of the co-main event, Khamzat Chimaev vs Paulo Costa, will play a huge role in deciding who gets the next title shot against the current champion, Sean Strickland.

Gilbert Burns recently shared a neutral prediction on the upcoming fight. Burns fought against Chimaev, and based on that fight, he made a few judgements. Chimaev has only one goal in his mind, and that is to 'smash' his opponents; he's an explosive fighter, and it will be fascinating to see how he performs against Paulo Costa.

Gilbert Burns on Chimaev vs Costa

In a recent interview with MiddleEasy, Gilbert Burns shared his analysis of Chimaev vs Costa and spoke about his return and future goals. "Costa — like everybody's saying — is huge," Burns said, as quoted by mmafighting.com.

"He's a big guy but I don't think he has the heart that I have. I don't think he has the jiu-jitsu that I have. He doesn't have the get-ups that I have. He doesn't have the submission threat that I have that kind of made Khamzat not want to grapple.

I think he's very strong and a big guy but I think he's gonna gas. "I don't like both of these guys. Double knockout would be the best result but I don't know. It's a 50-50 fight. If Khamzat is able to take him down, I think it will be a harder night for Costa but in the other way too, if Costa is able to defend the takedown, it will be a hard night for Khamzat so I think we're gonna see the winner with how the first round goes.I fought three times this year.

Costa on what's next for him: No one in the top 10 fought since, you know? I gotta see these guys fighting, we want to see who I'm fighting next but that's all I'm looking for. A big win against a top-ranked opponent and get a title shot. I believe one amazing finish will give me a title shot. If not, two".