UFC 294: Usman Looks to Shock Returning Chimaev on Short Notice

By
Gabriel Gonzalez
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Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev, UFC 294
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 20: (L-R) Opponents Kamaru Usman of Nigeria and Khamzat Chimaev of the United Arab Emirates face off during the UFC 294 ceremonial weigh-in at Etihad Arena on October 20, 2023 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Kamaru Usman will be looking to deliver the upset of the year when he looks to spoil the return of superstar contender Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294.

A week ago, Kamaru Usman was nowhere to be found.  While he’d entertained talks of a return to action in 2023, it seemed like a fight that “made sense” wasn’t available and that he would be left on the outside looking in for the remainder of the year.  As has now been widely publicized, things moved quickly once rumors began that Paulo Costa might be out of the UFC 294 co-headliner.  While a handful of fighters threw their hat in the cage with nothing to lose, the UFC elected to go with the longtime welterweight champion as the short-notice replacement to go up against their budding superstar.

The prize is obvious for Usman: He takes out arguably the biggest prospect seen in years and immediately jumps to the front of the line in a new weight class.  The downside, if any, is taking a high risk bout at a time when both the middleweight and welterweight title pictures are loaded with talent.  A step back, even if it should not be perceived so, would take Usman virtually out of the conversation for a shot at a belt in 2024.  After having set the record for the second most consecutive victories in UFC history, most in welterweight history, and being one of the most dominant champions of the past few years, it would be disappointing to say the least.

For Khamzat Chimaev, he gets the deck stacked in his favor ahead of what is expected to be his penultimate step toward superstardom.  UFC President Dana White has said that the winner between Chimaev and Usman would be the next challenger for the title, leapfrogging over former champion Israel Adesanya and surging contender Dricus du Plessis.  Considering some thought the popular Chimaev might be the odd man out amidst the many moving parts, to now get a full camp over a smaller opponent is about as favorable a circumstance as one could ask for.

While Usman provides a stylistically different challenge than Costa, the real hurdle may be the mental one.  Chimaev was the heavy favorite to dispatch the super popular Nate Diaz last September and continue his attack on the welterweight division.  Instead, he was off weight by a wide margin and it led to a shuffling of the deck at the eleventh hour.  The end result saw Chimaev take the heat for missing weight and White saying he would need to move up to middleweight.  While there remained a desire to see Chimaev compete again, the year long absence saw the divisions move on and build formidable contenders.  Chimaev has a chance to cast the criticism and competition aside in one night, but he must deliver the fight week this time around that was expected of him last September.

It would be difficult to see the UFC going in a direction other than Khamzat Chimaev for the middleweight title should he triumph on Saturday.  While Usman would be in contention for Upset of the Year with a victory, he may still need a massively emphatic finish to jump past the impressive resume of Dricus du Plessis who has stopped Darren Till, Derek Brunson, and Robert Whittaker in consecutive bouts.

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