ABU DHABI – Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev came face-to-face for the first time following Thursday’s UFC 294 pre-fight press conference.
After Paulo Costa was ruled out of the event due to a staph infection, former welterweight champion Usman (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC) stepped in as a replacement on 10 days’ notice to face Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in Saturday’s middleweight co-headliner, which takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+.
UFC CEO Dana White has said the bout will be a title eliminator. Usman moves up to middleweight for the short-notice bout after back-to-back losses to champ Leon Edwards at 170 pounds, while Chimaev returns to the octagon for the first time since his quick submission of Kevin Holland at UFC 279.
