Former undisputed UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman has predicted a stoppage victory over welterweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev in a potential future fight between the duo – with rumors linking the pair to a potential showdown later this year.
Usman, the current #1 ranked welterweight contender, has been sidelined since he headlined UFC 286 back in March in London, England – suffering a close, majority decision loss to Leon Edwards in the pair’s championship trilogy rubber-match.
As for Chimaev, the Chechen-born contender slipped from his #3 rank in the division earlier this month, amid a string of inactivity since September of last year.
Expected to return to the Octagon at the middleweight limit having missed weight for a scheduled UFC 279 showdown with Nate Diaz by seven and a half pounds last year, Chimaev eventually shared the co-main event bracket against Kevin Holland in a catchweight contest at the T-Mobile Arena.
Moving to 12-0 as a professional with a victory at the event, Chimaev submitted the above-mentioned Riverside striker, Holland, with an opening round D’Arce choke submission win in the early goings of their clash.
Expected to return at UFC 294 in October in tandem with the Octagon’s return to Abu Dhabi, UAE, Chimaev had received a surprising call out from former pound-for-pound number one, Usman – who has since been urged to move to the middleweight limit to secure a fight with the former, by UFC leader, Dana White.
Kamaru Usman predicts stoppage win over Khamzat Chimaev in future clash
However, predicting success against Chimaev in a potential future fight, Usman went as far as predicting he would be the first to both beat and even stop the AllStars MMA staple.
“I stop him [Khamzat Chimaev] in 4 (rounds),” Kamaru Usman tweeted on Thursday night. “Watch the tapes.”
I stop him in 4. Watch the tapes
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) May 18, 2023
