The best UFC sportsbooks favor Chimaev over Costa when they fight at UFC 294. These two great middleweights will settle their differences on October 21. They will be fighting in the co-main event at UFC 294.
This event is going to be headlined by Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira. The three-round Chimaev vs. Costa fight is sure to be a slobber knocker, but the odds are in favor of “Borz.” Chimaev is a -375 favorite over the Brazilian Costa at the best online sportsbooks.
UFC 294 Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa Odds by BetOnline
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Chimaev | -375 |
| Costa | +290 |
Betting Paulo Costa
It has been five long years since the man known as “The Eraser” has lived up to that moniker (a 2018 knockout win over Uriah ‘Heep’ Hall). Costa is a boxer. He is built like a brick sh*thouse and he has improved his stamina as well as his grappling skills.
Will Paulo become the first man to ever beat Chimaev? Chances are he won’t. On the other hand, can he knock him down to make this a close fight? That is very likely. We think that Khamzat is going to stand up and bang away (as opposed to wrestling, hard to believe though that may be).
That would open a window of opportunity for Costa. If you are keen on the Brazilian, bet on him at the best sportsbooks as a straight-up dog, but do not be wary of adding a little action on Costa to win by decision. Anything is bound to happen when the result is up to the judges.
Paulo Costa made the news on Monday after he revealed that he underwent elbow surgery a few weeks ago ahead of his UFC 294 co-main event match versus Khamzat Chimaev. In addition to that, he swore that he would not only show up to tangle with Chimaev but also that he would beat him.
“Yes, definitely yes [I am fighting on October 21]. I came to Abu Dhabi four weeks ago. I came here early, to this hostile country. Also, I came here to take over. I had this injury, two weeks before I came [to Abu Dhabi], but we are careful and make sure to not get worse. Once I got here and started to train hard, the bad things happened. The doctor said ‘Paulo, unfortunately, it is necessary to open your arm because it is a big inflammation and an infection that you have,'” Costa said.
Bursitis is a medical condition that affects the bursae. The bursae are the little sacs filled with fluid that sit between the bones, the tendons, and the muscles and serve as cushioning. It happens when bursae are inflamed as a result of unhealthy weight gain, not warming up prior to exercise, and knocking the joints.
“‘You need to stay with the stitches in your elbow for two weeks. So after two weeks, we are going to remove them and then two weeks [Costa trains for the fight,]'” Costa said. “I said ‘That’s good.’ Two weeks is enough to train. I even asked [the doctor] to not let the UFC know, but it was not possible so they reported everything to the UFC. And I say thank you to the UFC for keeping me in this fight.”
Betting Khamzat Chimaev
It has been a while (almost a year, to be precise) since Chimaev has been in the UFC Octagon. If you remember hard enough, though, you can recall his easy win against Kevin Holland at UFC 282. It was a quick takedown that transitioned into a dominant position for a tap-out. ‘Nuff said.
Chimaev will always have the option to go berserk and turn people into a pretzel with his wrestling, but our instincts tell us that he is going to want to administer Costa a different kind of punishment. Be on the lookout for Khamzat to keep his guard up high and rattle off punches and kicks.
Keep in mind that battle with Gilbert Burns at UFC 273. This Chimaev-Costa match is going to get violent. We suggest betting on Chimaev to win within the distance. You can also lengthen your odds by betting on Khamzat to win by KO/TKO.
UFC 294 Khamzat Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa Pick
We love Khamzat within the distance as our very best bet. Borz is a superior fighter with more versatility to his game. We think that Costa has a better chance than his +290 odds indicate, but we will all be on the Khamzat bandwagon ahead of the event. Chimaev Inside The Distance. Value Bet On Chimaev By KO/TKO.
