Magomed Ankalaev calls out Paulo Costa for October standup war

Magomed Ankalaev wants Paulo Costa in a standup fight this October while waiting for UFC heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg to recover from knee surgery.

Ankalaev secured a fifth-round ground-and-pound finish over Bogdan Guskov at UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday, though the victory did little to build excitement around an interim title shot. At the post-fight press conference, the Russian contender acknowledged the division's stalled state and floated Costa's name as a potential opponent, per MMA Mania.

Ankalaev targets Abu Dhabi return against Costa

"I'm already the No. 1 contender," Ankalaev said through a translator. "But as we know in this division right now our champion is hurt. We don't know when he's going to come back. So if he's going to take a long time to come back, I would like to stay active and I believe I saw something or heard something that Costa wrote in my direction."

Costa has complained publicly about the UFC blocking him from completing his contract as he seeks free agency. Shortly after Ankalaev's win, the middleweight posted on X that he would "save this weightclass from monotony and boredom."

Ankalaev responded by suggesting an October date in Abu Dhabi. "If Paulo Costa is going to stand in front of me and wants to stand and bang, we can definitely bang it out here in Abu Dhabi," he said. The matchup would give Costa a final UFC bout before exploring offers from rival promotions while keeping Ankalaev active during Ulberg's rehab.

UFC Abu Dhabi is tentatively scheduled for October, with no main event confirmed.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Magomed Ankalaev offers to ‘stand and bang’ with Paulo Costa in October