Khamzat Chimaev will DESTROY Kamaru Usman | UFC 294

Khamzat Chimaev will destory Kamaru Usman on UFC 294 Paulo Costa pulled out due to bacteria in his elbow. Both are very dedicated fighters but the odds are good for Khamzat Khamzat Khizarovich Chimaev[2][9][10] (Chechen: Хизаран Хамзат;[11] Russian: Хамзат Хизарович Чимаев;[12] 1 May 1994), is a Swedish[13][14] professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler who competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).[15] He formerly competed in Brave Combat Federation.[16] In wrestling, Chimaev is a three-time Swedish National champion.[17] As of 9 May 2023, he is #4 in the UFC welterweight rankings.[18] As a freestyle wrestler, Usman primarily competed at 84 kilograms (185 lb), and was a 2010 U.S. University World Team Member.[10] Collegiately, he competed at 174 pounds (79 kg), and was the 2010 NCAA Division II national champion, a three–time NCAA Division II All-American, and a NAIA national qualifier. 2019 Riding a nine-fight winning streak in the UFC, Usman next faced UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley on March 2, 2019, in the co-main event at UFC 235.[63] He won the one-sided fight via unanimous decision after dominating Woodley for five rounds.[64] Usman made his first title defense and faced long-time rival Colby Covington at UFC 245 on December 14, 2019.[65] Despite both athletes being mostly offensive wrestlers,[66] the fight did not include any grappling and contained high-paced offense in the striking instead.[67] After a fight often referred to as a five-round "slugfest", Usman was able to knockdown his opponent twice before finishing him with strikes in the fifth round to be declared the winner via technical knockout,[68] which set the record for the latest finish in UFC welterweight history.[69] This fight earned both participants the Fight of the Night award.[70] 2020 Usman was scheduled to defend his title for the second time against long-time teammate and two-time No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Gilbert Burns on July 12, 2020 at UFC 251.[71] Both being originally from the same camp – Sanford MMA – Usman opted to train under Trevor Wittman heading into the fight.[5] On July 3, 2020, it was revealed that Burns tested positive for COVID-19 and he was subsequently removed from the card.[72] On July 5, 2020, it was reported that Jorge Masvidal stepped in on short notice to replace Burns.[73] Usman won via unanimous decision.[74] The card reportedly generated 1.3 million pay-per-view buys in the United States, the most since UFC 229 in October 2018.[75] 2021 Usman was once again scheduled to defend his title against BJJ World Champion Gilbert Burns, on December 12, 2020, at UFC 256.[76] However, on October 5, 2020, It was reported that Usman had pulled out from the bout, citing more time needed to recover from undisclosed injuries[77] and the bout was postponed for February 13, 2021, as the headliner for UFC 258.[78] Usman defended his title for the third time, as he won the fight via technical knockout in the third round, surpassing the record of the former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre for the largest win-streak in the division with thirteen.[79] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[80] For his fifth title bout, Usman rematched against Jorge Masvidal for the UFC Welterweight Championship on April 24, 2021, at UFC 261 in Florida.[81] He successfully defended his title after knocking out Masvidal in the second round, becoming the first to do so in the UFC.[82] This win earned Usman his fourth Performance of the Night bonus award.[83] Usman rematched Colby Covington for the UFC Welterweight Championship on November 6, 2021 at UFC 268.[84] Usman retained his championship, being declared the winner via unanimous decision.[85] 2022 Usman met Leon Edwards in a rematch of their 2015 fight, attempting to make his sixth title defense on August 20, 2022 at UFC 278.[86] Usman entered the fight with a -425 winning favour while odd-makers saw Leon as a +315 underdog.[87] Usman lost the fight and title via knockout late in the fifth round, marking Usman's first loss inside the UFC.[88][89][90] 2023 A third fight between Usman and Edwards took place on March 18, 2023, at UFC 286 for the UFC Welterweight Championship.[91] He lost the bout via majority decision.[92] Usman is expected to step in on 10 days notice, as a replacement for an injured Paulo Costa, to face Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight bout on October 21, 2023, at UFC 294. This will be Usman's middleweight MMA debut.

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