“He said something about Russian guys!” Bogdan Guskov ready to make Paulo Costa eat his words as potential UFC clash gains momentum

UFC light heavyweight No. 10 Bogdan Guskov is staying active despite the collapse of his rematch with Jan Blachowicz.

Guskov, a former MMA Series fighter, fought the former UFC light heavyweight champion to a draw late last year. The two were expected to run it back on May 9, 2026, but Blachowicz was recently forced out of the bout with a knee injury, leaving Guskov without an opponent.

Now “Tsarevich” is taking matters into his own hands — and he has called out Paulo Costa, the newly ranked No. 7 contender at 205 pounds.

Costa recently moved up from middleweight and shocked many by knocking out Azamat Murzakanov, who entered the fight riding a six-fight winning streak. Before that matchup, the Brazilian made a controversial comment about Russian fighters.

“I hate Russian fighters. This is the second one in a row I’m going to add to my record. And the third might be Chimaev. But first I’ll deal with Murzakanov,” Costa said.

Guskov used that quote as fuel and issued a direct challenge to Costa.

“Costa has a lot of hype right now. He beat one of the boogeymen of our division, Azamat Murzakanov. Of course, it would be really cool for me to fight him. Especially because he said something about Russian guys. Well, here’s a Russian guy who grew up in Uzbekistan, ready to share the cage anytime. We’ll make him swallow those words,” Guskov told Red Corner MMA.

Costa did not take long to respond. The Brazilian reacted to Guskov’s callout on social media.

“Good challenge, Bogdan. I have nothing against Russian people; I respect them. My words were more against Chechens. But I don’t get it — you’re Uzbek, yet you got offended like a Russian?” Costa wrote.

The UFC could have interest in putting Guskov and Costa together. Both fighters have action-friendly styles, both know how to sell a fight, and the matchup already has a storyline.

There is currently no official word on when the fight could happen, but the situation may develop in the near future.