Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman – Preview and Prediction
Khamzat Chimaev and Kamaru Usman will meet in a big-time middleweight matchup in the co-main event of UFC 294.
The fight comes on days notice as Chimaev was originally scheduled to face former title challenger Paulo Costa, but Costa was forced to withdraw from the fight after having surgery a few weeks ago.
Now with Costa out, Usman steps in for what the UFC is expecting to be a title elimination fight at 185 pounds.
Here’s a preview and a prediction on the fight, which can also be seen in the video above.
Breakdown
Chimaev has been a superstar ever since he debuted with the UFC in 2020.
Perhaps his biggest win came at UFC 273 when he beat Gilbert Burns in an absolute slugfest that proved he is a contender and not a pretender.
Following the win over Burns, Chimaev steamrolled Kevin Holland at UFC 279 in September of 2022 and that was the last time he made the walk to the octagon.
Usman on the other hand, is a future UFC hall of famer as he is not only a former welterweight champion, but he also defended his title five times.
While most of welterweight run was filled with success, Usman is coming off back-to-back losses to Leon Edwards and he did not look good in his last fight against at UFC 286.
Tale of the Tape
Favors Chimaev big time. He’s younger, taller and has a reach advantage. He’s also going to be the fresher fighter as this marks his first fight of 2023.
Oddsmakers
They like Chimaev here as fight week opened with him as a two-to-one betting favorite.
Prediction
Big time matchup here at UFC 294 and fans are buzzing about this fight.
Usman moving up to middleweight is a good move for him later in his career, but the question here is whether or not father time has caught up to him as he looked really bad in his last fight.
Odds don’t usually favor fighters who have had multiple knee surgeries, are 36-years-old, are coming off two losses and are taking a fight on days notice.
If anyone can over come those odds, its Usman. Will he do it? Guess we’ll find out, but odds aren’t in his favor.
Prediction: Khamzat Chimaev defeats Kamaru Usman by unanimous decision in the UFC 294 co-main event.
