UFC 294 on October 21 was supposed to be headlined by the highly anticipated rematch between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira. The co-main event was supposed to be Paulo Costa vs. Khamzat Chimaev. But now, less than 2 weeks away from UFC 294, both the main and co-main events have been changed.
Paulo Costa had elbow surgery and had to pull out of the fight; replacing him will be the former Welterweight Champion, Kamaru Usman. Usman will move up a division to fight Chimaev with less than 2 weeks’ notice. Now the main event for UFC 294 will be the rematch between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski, and the co-main event will be Kamaru vs. Khamzat.
ARE YOU SHITTIN ME?!
Can’t wait to get to Abu Dhabi!!!! @ufc @USMAN84kg @KChimaev @alexvolkanovski @MAKHACHEVMMA #InAbuDhabi @VisitAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/AAVPRpXeRI
— danawhite (@danawhite) October 11, 2023
Khamzat Chimaev, on the other hand, is undefeated and on a 12-fight win streak. He is one of the most promising contenders in the sport. Many people believe it’s just a matter of time before ‘Borz’ becomes the UFC champion.
Kamaru Usman vs. Khamzat Chimaev: Stats and record
Kamaru Usman, also known as ‘Nigerian Nightmare’, has a record of 20 wins and 3 losses. He fought Tyron Woodley on March 2, 2019, to win his first championship in the co-main event of UFC 235. He dominated the champion for five rounds and won the fight by a unanimous decision. Usman is currently ranked #1 in the welterweight division.
Usman is coming off back-to-back championship losses to Leon Edwards. Before his second fight with Edwards, he was on a 19-fight win streak, including six championship fight victories. Usman was the champion from 2019 to 2022.
Your new #UFC294 co-main is a BANGER 🔥@Usman84KG vs @KChimaev is official for next Saturday!
[ @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/S5Nls8UF84
— UFC (@ufc) October 11, 2023
The 29-year-old Chimaev made his UFC debut on July 16, 2020, on UFC on ESPN 13, where he submitted John Phillips in the second round. Then he fought Rhys McKee and won by first-round TKO. The fight with McKee was just ten days after his first fight.
His taking the fight on very short notice and winning impressively made him an instant fan favorite. He fights in the welterweight and middleweight divisions. In his last fight, he dominated Kevin Holland in the co-main event of UFC 279 after missing the weight by 7.5 lbs. His record is 12 wins and 0 losses.
With anyone @danawhite pic.twitter.com/93SURDJt9D
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) October 11, 2023
He is currently ranked #4 in the welterweight division. If the fight with Paulo Costa had happened, he had a chance to be ranked very high in the middleweight division as well. But now the fight with Usman is two top 5 welterweights fighting at middleweight.
Usman stands at 6’0″ tall and has a reach of 76″. Khamzat Chimaev is 2″ taller than his opponent, standing at 6’2″ tall, and has a 75″ reach. They will fight at the middleweight limit of 185 lbs. Costa withdrawing from the fight was unwelcome news. However, Usman stepping up to compete on such short notice has ignited excitement among MMA fans.