Tag: Khamzat Chimaev

Report – Khamzat Chimaev signs new multi fight deal ahead of UFC 294 return against Kamaru Usman

Khamzat Chimaev signs new multi fight deal ahead of UFC 294 fight with Kamaru UsmanUndefeated contender, Khamzat Chimaev has reportedly put pen to paper on a new, multi-fight deal with the UFC ahead…

Khamzat Chimaev signs new multi fight deal ahead of UFC 294 fight with Kamaru Usman

Undefeated contender, Khamzat Chimaev has reportedly put pen to paper on a new, multi-fight deal with the UFC ahead of his return to the Octagon this weekend against former welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman – as he prepares for his seventh walk under the banner of the promotion.

Chimaev, the current number four ranked welterweight contender, makes his return to the Octagon this weekend at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, UAE – taking on former welterweight champion and former pound-for-pound number one, Usman in his return to the middleweight limit. 

Sidelined since he featured in the co-headliner of UFC 279 back in September of last year, Chechen-born contender, Chimaev most recently improved to 12-0 as a professional, stopping Kevin Holland with a first round D’Arce choke submission win at the T-Mobile Arena. 

Khamzat Chimaev signs a new multi-fight contract ahead of UFC 294

And ahead of his comeback to active competition, Chimaev, as per ESPN reporter, Brett Okamoto, is set to kick-off his schedule this year as part of a new multi-fight deal with the Dana White-led organization.

“Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) inks a new long term deal with the UFC, a few days ahead of his middleweight fight against Kamaru Usman,” Okamoto posted on his official X account. “Signed the new deal on Tuesday of this week.” 

Taking part in an officially billed championship eliminator later this weekend against Usman, Chimaev will earn his first championship bout with a win over the Auchi native in the Middle East, in the form of a title bout against newly-crowned middleweight gold holder, Sean Strickland. 

Over the course of his Octagon stint, Chimaev has landed victories over John Philips, Rhys McKee, Gerald Meerschaert, Li Jingliang, one-time welterweight title challenger, Gilbert Burns, and the above-mentioned, Holland. 

Who wins at UFC 294 this weekend: Khamzat Chimaev or Kamaru Usman?

UFC 294 Predictions: Bleacher Report Main Card Staff Picks

UFC 294 goes down this Saturday in Abu Dhabi, and there are a lot of reasons to be excited for it. The card was stacked from the outset, but in the last two…

UFC 294 goes down this Saturday in Abu Dhabi, and there are a lot of reasons to be excited for it. The card was stacked from the outset, but in the last two…

Khamzat Chimaev issues warning to Bo nickal ahead of UFC 294: ‘I’m going to come up and smash his face’

Khamzat ChimaevKhamzat Chimaev sent a word of warning to undefeated prospect Bo Nickal after the three-time NCAA Division I National…

Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev sent a word of warning to undefeated prospect Bo Nickal after the three-time NCAA Division I National Champion called the Chechen’s wrestling skills “trash” in a past interview.

After it was revealed that Paulo Costa was out of his co-main event clash with Chimaev at UFC 294 due to a nasty infection in his elbow, Nickal, a 5-0 fighter with an incredible average fight time of 1:20, immediately called out ‘Borz’ in hopes of snatching the short-notice opportunity.

As we now know, the UFC went in a different direction, booking former welterweight world champion Kamaru Usman to step in and take on Chimaev on 10 days’ notice. Nickal quickly expressed his frustration over being passed up by the promotion.

“I was disappointed they didn’t ask me to step in there,” he said on his YouTube channel. “I was expecting at least an ask like, ‘Hey, you want to to this?’ But, no. Just nothing. Nothing from the UFC. It is what it is. I’m guessing they didn’t want me to roll over into Abu Dhabi on 10 days’ notice and smash their boy in front of his home crowd or something.”

The likelier scenario is that the UFC simply didn’t want to put one of their biggest stars in the cage against an unranked fighter who’s only had two fights inside the Octagon, but that’s a far less interesting headline.

Khamzat Chimaev says wrestling in the UFC is far different than when doing it for points

Asked about Nickal’s comments during his appearance at the UFC 294 media event ahead of fight night, Chimaev was fairly dismissive of Nickal’s comments about his wrestling skills, but ‘Borz’ did offer a word of warning to the Nittany Lion should the two ever step inside the Octagon.

“I don’t know what this guy’s saying. He’s not wrestling for the points, man,” Chimaev said. “Here, we don’t play wrestling. This is fighting, man. I don’t care if somebody takes me down. I’m going to come up and smash his face. I don’t think this guy can come to the cage and take me down. It’s not wrestling. We don’t stay like wrestlers.”

Khamzat Chimaev enters his 13th career fight with an undefeated record of 12-0. That includes six wins under the UFC banner with only one of them going the distance. That would be his unanimous decision victory over Gilbert Burns in April 2022. The bout was Chimaev’s first major test inside the Octagon and while he faced some adversity, ‘Borz’ did more than enough to walk away the winner and prove to the naysayers that he is the real deal.

If he can leave Etihad Arena with a win over Kamaru Usman on Saturday night, Chimaev will secure himself an opportunity to face reigning middleweight world champion Sean Strickland.

Khamzat Chimaev suggests UFC was behind his massive weight miss ahead of Nate Diaz Fight: ‘It’s not my plan’

Khamzat ChimaevDid the UFC encourage Khamzat Chimaev to come in heavy for his previously scheduled scrap with Nate Diaz at…

Khamzat Chimaev

Did the UFC encourage Khamzat Chimaev to come in heavy for his previously scheduled scrap with Nate Diaz at UFC 279?

On Saturday night, Chimaev will make his return to the Octagon more than a year removed from his last outing. Stepping into the co-main event spotlight in Abu Dhabi, the undefeated Chechen monster will face the toughest test of his career thus far when he meets former welterweight world champion Kamaru Usman.

Usman’s injection into the co-headliner came just 10 days before fight night after Chimaev’s original opponent, Paulo Costa, was not medically cleared due to an infection in his elbow.

Chimaev will make his formal debut in the middleweight division after spending the majority of his career racking up wins at welterweight. The move up in weight comes after ‘Borz’ infamously stepped on the scale nearly eight pounds over the limit for his main event showdown against Nate Diaz. Chimaev’s massive miss on the scale put not only their bout but the entire card in jeopardy. Fortunately, the promotion was able to do some last-minute scrambling to save the event.

As it turns out, shuffling things around at zero hour may have been part of the UFC’s plan all along. Speaking with members of the press ahead of his return to the UAE, Khazmat Chimaev revealed that it was not his decision to stop cutting weight the night before his scrap with Diaz.

“Everyone speaks about [why] I didn’t make weight once in my life and there was some plans to do that that way,” Chimaev revealed. “It’s not my plan, but I can’t say everything here.”

Chimaev’s hesitance to speak on the situation further certainly makes it seem like the UFC played a role in the weight miss, and manufactured much of the drama that took place 36 hours before showtime.

‘Borz’ went on to compete at the event, sliding into the co-main event slot against fast-talking fan favorite Kevin Holland. Chimaev delivered another memorable performance, ragdolling Holland for a majority of the opening round before securing a d’arce choke, moving him to 12-0 in his MMA career.

He’ll look to make it a baker’s dozen on Saturday night and secure his first opportunity to compete for UFC gold.

Khamzat Chimaev suggests UFC was behind his massive weight miss ahead of Nate Diaz Fight: ‘It’s not my plan’

Khamzat ChimaevDid the UFC encourage Khamzat Chimaev to come in heavy for his previously scheduled scrap with Nate Diaz at…

Khamzat Chimaev

Did the UFC encourage Khamzat Chimaev to come in heavy for his previously scheduled scrap with Nate Diaz at UFC 279?

On Saturday night, Chimaev will make his return to the Octagon more than a year removed from his last outing. Stepping into the co-main event spotlight in Abu Dhabi, the undefeated Chechen monster will face the toughest test of his career thus far when he meets former welterweight world champion Kamaru Usman.

Usman’s injection into the co-headliner came just 10 days before fight night after Chimaev’s original opponent, Paulo Costa, was not medically cleared due to an infection in his elbow.

Chimaev will make his formal debut in the middleweight division after spending the majority of his career racking up wins at welterweight. The move up in weight comes after ‘Borz’ infamously stepped on the scale nearly eight pounds over the limit for his main event showdown against Nate Diaz. Chimaev’s massive miss on the scale put not only their bout but the entire card in jeopardy. Fortunately, the promotion was able to do some last-minute scrambling to save the event.

As it turns out, shuffling things around at zero hour may have been part of the UFC’s plan all along. Speaking with members of the press ahead of his return to the UAE, Khazmat Chimaev revealed that it was not his decision to stop cutting weight the night before his scrap with Diaz.

“Everyone speaks about [why] I didn’t make weight once in my life and there was some plans to do that that way,” Chimaev revealed. “It’s not my plan, but I can’t say everything here.”

Chimaev’s hesitance to speak on the situation further certainly makes it seem like the UFC played a role in the weight miss, and manufactured much of the drama that took place 36 hours before showtime.

‘Borz’ went on to compete at the event, sliding into the co-main event slot against fast-talking fan favorite Kevin Holland. Chimaev delivered another memorable performance, ragdolling Holland for a majority of the opening round before securing a d’arce choke, moving him to 12-0 in his MMA career.

He’ll look to make it a baker’s dozen on Saturday night and secure his first opportunity to compete for UFC gold.

Video – Fans speculate Kamaru Usman suffered knee injury during UFC 294 open workout: ‘Something popped’

Fans speculate Kamaru Usman suffered knee injury during open workout at UFC 294 something poppedFans have speculated across social media that this weekend’s UFC 294 title eliminator between Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev…

Fans speculate Kamaru Usman suffered knee injury during open workout at UFC 294 something popped

Fans have speculated across social media that this weekend’s UFC 294 title eliminator between Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev may be in jeopardy just as soon as it’s been put together – with the former champion appearing to mention how “something popped” in his knee whilst wrestling with teammate, Justin Gaethje during his open workouts today.

Usman, a former undisputed welterweight champion under the banner of the promotion, and former pound-for-pound number one fighter on the organization’s books, is slated to make his return to competition this weekend on just 10 days’ notice, taking on Chimaev over the course of three rounds in a middleweight divisional bow.

Replacing former title challenger, Paulo Costa on short notice, Auchi native, Kamaru Usman has been sidelined since he headlined UFC 286 back in March, suffering a majority decision loss to three-time foe and current welterweight champion, Leon Edwards in London.

And heralded by many in the mixed martial arts community for taking on the undefeated Chimaev on short-notice with a middleweight title fight against the incumbent Sean Strickland set to be awarded to the victor in Abu Dhabi.

Fans speculate Kamaru Usman suffered knee injury during UFC 294 open workouts

However, appearing at open workouts today in the Middle East ahead of his fight with Chimaev, Usman showed off his grappling and wrestling ability with newly-minted BMF champion, Gaethje, however, keen listeners appeared to hear Usman say “something popped”, before clutching at his knee as he sprang back to his feet following the takedown. 

Notoriously dealing with a slew of knee injuries and issues during his Octagon tenure amid his years as an amateur wrestler, Usman has noticeably limited his tendency to wrestle as a result during his time in the UFC. 

Likely to face a grappling and wrestling onslaught from Chimaev this weekend at the Etihad Arena, the undefeated Chechnya native is riding a 12-fight perfect professional run, most recently latching onto an opening round D’Arce choke submission win over Kevin Holland at UFC 279 in September of last year. 

Do you think Kamaru Usman injured his knee whilst training ahead of UFC 294 this weekend?