Khamzat Chimaev just earned himself a middleweight title shot.
“Borz” defeated former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in the UFC 294 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event on Sat. (Oct. 21, 2023) inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, capturing a majority decision victory after three rounds of back-and-forth action.
UFC 294 marked the first appearance for Chimaev since his submission win at UFC 279 more than a year ago in Orlando, Fla., and you can argue the performance was below expectations, considering the lopsided odds and “incredible” hype job.
“I’ll make it look easy,” middleweight contender Dricus Du Plessis wrote on Twitter.
The South African standout was previously in line to score the next 185-pound title shot; however, “Stillknocks” passed on the opportunity to compete at UFC 293 in Sydney, paving the way for Sean Strickland’s massive upset over then-champion Israel Adesanya.
Now Du Plessis is stranded in no man’s land.
“I don’t know where that puts him,” UFC CEO Dana White said after promising the winner of Chimaev-Usman the crack at Strickland’s middleweight crown. “It puts him fighting somebody. He’ll end up fighting somebody.”
That said, Chimaev isn’t holding his breath.
“They promised me, like I said before, ‘Gilbert Burns, if you win against this guy, you’re gonna fight for the title.’ Since then, I wait two years,” Chimaev said before the event. “I fight again as well but didn’t get that title. So I don’t know what’s going on. I’m going after all heads in the UFC. If I finish everyone, stop everyone, they have to give me all belts.”
Unless the request is declined (for a second time).
Chimaev, 29, improved to 13-0 with his victory over Usman and could be paired off against Strickland in the first quarter of 2024. As for Usman, 36, he’s likely to return to the 170-pound weight class to focus on making another run at the welterweight title.
For complete UFC 294 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.