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Dana White has announced that Khamzat Chimaev will step in to face Kamaru Usman in the co-main event at UFC 294. This change comes after Paulo Costa was forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout due to injury.
The UFC President and Chief Executive revealed this news through his social media channels. Costa’s eagerly awaited showdown with Chimaev had been in jeopardy following the Brazilian’s recent elbow surgery.
Now, Khamzat Chimaev, currently ranked as the number four welterweight in the world, will move up to the middleweight division to take on the number one welterweight, Kamaru Usman. This highly anticipated clash is set to take place in Abu Dhabi on October 21.
White expressed his excitement, stating, “You’ve been waiting for the co-main event. Despite Costa’s injury and all the speculations, we’ve made it happen. It’s going to be a showdown between the number one welterweight, Kamaru Usman, and the number four welterweight, Khamzat Chimaev, now competing in the middleweight division. We’ll see you in Abu Dhabi.”
Notably, this fight marks Kamaru Usman’s debut in the middleweight division. The 36-year-old American had an impressive 15-fight winning streak in the welterweight division before suffering consecutive defeats to Leon Edwards.
