Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman got the call nine days before UFC 294 to take on unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev. With mixed emotions ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ accepted the fight.
Khamzat Chimaev was originally slated to face Paulo Costa in the UFC 294 co-main event, but Costa was removed from the bout after it was reveal that he had surgery weeks before the event.
Undefeated Chechen mixed martial arts fighter who represents the United Arab Emirates on the international stage, Khamzat Chimaev, shared his opinion on his upcoming fight with former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman of Nigeria.
“What should I say? You know, it’s like, I don’t even know what to say. I’m just going to go there to smash the guy. Although, of course, kudos to him for taking the fight on short notice. But they’ve already listed that as an excuse. Not Usman himself, but the guys on his team and beyond. A lot of people are saying, “Here, Usman takes the fight. Why is he doing this? He didn’t have a camp and he’s f*cked.”
“I don’t care, I just go out there and I’m ready to finish anybody. I don’t care if he was a champion, what his ranking was regardless of weight class and the rest of that stuff. Either way, he’s going to have to step in the cage and fight me. I know Usman is coming to kill me anyway, just like I am,” Khamzat Chimaev said.
Also, Khamzat Chimaev commented on replacing Paulo Costa with Kamara Usman in his next fight.
According to Khamzat Chimaev, he doesn’t care who he fights, as he never prepares for a specific opponent.
“I didn’t plan anything. Life never allowed me to plan anything. I was ready for any opponent. I never train for anybody specific. I just fight whoever they give me. I only think about what I’m going to do and work on myself,” Chimaev said.
A bout between Usman and Chimaev never came to fruition in the welterweight division because Chimaev could no longer make the cut down to 170 pounds and the fight promotion had other plans. Saturday’s match will take place in Chimaev’s new weight class, the middleweight division.