October 12, (THEWILL) – The co-main event for the upcoming UFC 294 card has undergone a significant change, as former welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, will now be facing Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight bout.
UFC president, Dana White, announced on Wednesday that Usman has agreed to move up in weight on short notice to take on Chimaev, replacing Paulo Costa, who was forced to withdraw following recent elbow surgery. Costa revealed he has developed a bacterial infection in his elbow that has prevented him from being medically cleared to compete on October 21 in Abu Dhabi.
Usman will bring tremendous credibility to the new co-main event matchup, as he is widely considered one of the greatest welterweight fighters in UFC history. After starting his career with 15 consecutive wins including 5 straight title defences, Usman did lose his belt in his last 2 fights against current champion, Leon Edwards.
Usman and Chimaev have been on a collision course for some time but disagreed on the weight class. Usman wanted to stay at 170 lbs where he reigns supreme, but Chimaev has struggled badly with weight cuts and opted to move up to middleweight. Now Chimaev gets his wish to face Usman, although this time in a 185 lb contest.
With a 12-0 record and coming off a year long layoff, Chimaev figures to have a size advantage over the former welterweight king. Still, Usman remains one of the best wrestlers in MMA, so the grappling exchanges could be spectacular. This promises to be must-see TV for UFC fans.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
