Kamaru Usman Ready For Khamzat Chimaev At UFC 294
When Kamaru Usman received a call asking if he could replace Paulo Costa at UFC 294 in his bout against Khamzat Chimaev, it came as neither a shock nor a surprise.
For months, Usman had been asking for a chance to fight Chimaev. Finally, after multiple requests, his wish was granted.
“I wanted this fight,” said Usman, who faces the undefeated Chimaev in a middleweight bout this Saturday in Abu Dhabi. “I asked months and months ago. But the company wasn’t interested at the time and wanted to go in a different direction. Then they ran into a problem. Who do you call at a time like that? You call a bad man to step in.”
Chimaev (12-0) blazed through past opponents, but he has yet to be tested by someone of Usman’s caliber. His toughest battle took place against Gilbert Burns in April of 2022, when the two went back-and-forth for three rounds. In February of 2021, Usman defeated Burns by TKO. Former teammates, Usman helped coach Burns in his preparation for Chimaev, so this is clearly an opponent he knows well.
Usman (20-3) was in the midst of an iconic 19-fight win streak–and on the cusp of a twentieth straight victory–until Leon Edwards’ head kick knocked him out in their fight two summers ago. Edwards took the welterweight title with the victory, then successfully defended it against Usman in March–making the former champ look a step older and slower than he was during his run of dominance.
Now 36, Usman will test his own invincibility against Chimaev, who last fought in September of 2022.
“Why not?” said Usman. “Let’s go out and test this guy.”
The winner of this fight will be an immediate candidate to challenge middleweight champion Sean Strickland, an opponent Usman has already defeated. Even though he still considers himself a welterweight, Usman is open to becoming a two-division champion.
“We’ll see how this goes,” said Usman. “After I beat him, they’ll make me fight Sean Strickland. That’s not something I’m going to turn down.
“I’m still a welterweight. I’ve perfected that. I’ve been a professional throughout my career. I’ve mastered how to do that effectively and safely. Khamzat is a bigger guy, he hasn’t always made weight. He’s ranked no. four in my weight class. This should have happened in my weight class. At the end of the day, I spar with everybody–whether you’re a welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, or even heavyweight.”
Usman defeated Strickland by unanimous decision in 2017. He would welcome another opportunity to share the cage with Strickland–especially with former middleweight king Israel Adesanya taking time off from fighting.
“It’s a fight that makes sense,” said Usman. “Izzy is going to take a little hiatus. While he’s gone, I’ll keep that belt warm for him. When he returns, we’ll figure out the logistics of how to settle it.”
Talk about Strickland and even Adesanya is only relevant if Usman handles his business on Saturday. Standing across from him will be an enormous challenge in Chimaev, who Usman believes is worthy of the hype.
“Khamzat is impressive,” said Usman. “He’s done his job and taken care of his opposition. But this is where you’re tested. You want to go up against the best, it’s a challenge. First, he needs to make weight. Then we’ll see how he fares.
“This is what I dream about, fighting the best, and I will never pass up that opportunity. It’s what I love to do, and I’m going to maximize the opportunity.”
