Khamzat Chimaev sees off valiant Kamaru Usman in UFC 294 co-main event
Ex-welterweight champion Usman fought the unbeaten middleweight prospect on 10 days’ notice
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Khamzat Chimaev saw off a valiant Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 on Saturday, beating the former welterweight champion on points in the co-main event.
Chimaev was due to face Paulo Costa in Abu Dhabi, but the Brazilian was forced to withdraw on 10 days’ notice due to an elbow injury, leading Usman to step in.
Usman, who held the welterweight title from 2018 until 2022, moved up to middleweight for the short-notice clash, which pitted him against one of the most fearsome prospects in MMA.
Chimaev, 29, entered the Etihad Arena with an unbeaten record of 12-0 including 11 finishes, having fought at both welterweight and middleweight. Usman, 36, therefore faced a stern test against the Russian, but the Nigerian-American did himself justice in defeat.
Chimaev started fast, as expected, taking down Usman and controlling him for much of the first round. The “Wolf” even closed in on a standing, rear naked choke – only to be thwarted by a Hail Mary from Usman, who dropped to the mat to slam his opponent and break the hold.
Usman seemed content to recover energy early in the second round, while Chimaev looked to be doing the same. During that spell, Usman appeared to pull ahead in the round with some crisp striking from both stances. Chimaev was able to land a takedown late in the frame, but Usman did well to neutralise the 29-year-old until the end of the round.
In the final round, Usman continued to get the better of Chimaev in the striking exchanges, while also denying the Russian multiple takedowns. Usman later failed with his own takedown attempt, before Chimaev grounded the former champion one more time and gained another period of control time.
Although Usman was able to stand and initiate a frenzied end to the fight, Chimaev had done enough to win 29-27 on two scorecards, while the other read 28-28. As such, Chimaev was declared a majority-decision winner.
He is next expected to challenge middleweight champion Sean Strickland, after the American dethroned Israel Adesanya in September in one of the UFC’s biggest upsets ever.
Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments