ABU DHABI – Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev had speculation around their weight for different reasons, but when the time arrived, there were no issues for their anticipated UFC 294 co-main event.
Usman (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC) and Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will battle for a title shot in the middleweight division when they meet in Saturday pay-per-view co-headliner, which takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island and follows prelims on ESPN+ and YouTube.
Usman, a former longtime welterweight champion, stepped in for the injured Paulo Costa on 10 days’ notice to fight in a new division, and tipped the scale under the non-title limit of 184.5 pounds. Chimaev was seemingly forced up from welterweight after coming in 7.5 pounds heavy for his previously scheduled fight, and looked comfortable up a division at 185.5 pounds.
Now Usman and Chimaev will step into the octagon and determine who gets the next crack at champion Sean Strickland, who Usman has already defeated by unanimous decision at UFC 210 in April 2017.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
