By Francis Ajuonuma
Nigerian-born Kamaru Usman will on October 21 be presented with an opportunity to relaunch his career back on track when he takes on United Arab Emirates’ Khamzat Chimaev (12-0) in an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC 294) middleweight contest at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Usman has been inactive since March 18, 2023, following his failed attempt to regain the welterweight title from Britishman Leon Edwards in UFC 286.
Usman was offered the opportunity to fight Chimaev after number six ranked Brazil’s Paulo Costa, who was initially billed to face Chimaev in UFC 294 withdrew from the fight citing an elbow injury which requires surgery.
The fight looks like a huge one for Usman considering the fact that he taking on a dangerous Chimaev, who is yet to lose a bout in 12 fights.
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UFC president, Dana White believes the fight is going to be an interesting one to enjoy and could offer the winner a shot at the middleweight title currently, held by Sean Strickland.
“Now, he’s moving up to 185 to take on the dangerous Chimaev. Crazy to think, but if Usman wins, he might just leapfrog the contenders at 185 to get a shot at Sean Strickland. There had been talks about Chimaev getting a title shot with a win, but if Usman wins, there’s a very real possibility that he’s in the discussion.
Chimaev – Usman was a fascinating matchup that people wanted to see at welterweight. However, with Usman losing his title and Chimaev moving up, we thought we’d never see it. Now, we get to see it in less than two weeks as the co-main for UFC 294,’ he said.
