Middleweight Bout: Kamaru Usman vs Khamzat Chimaev

Introduction

The UFC 294 co-main event was a thrilling middleweight bout between Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev¹. This fight was particularly notable as it was Usman’s first time competing at middleweight in his UFC career ¹.

Khamzat Chimaev wins over majority decision

Khamzat Chimaev takes the majority decision!!

He leaves #UFC294 with the victory over Kamaru Usman at #UFC294 pic.twitter.com/EjxZT6XiBA

— UFC (@ufc) October 21, 2023

The Fighters (Kamaru Usman vs Khamzat Chimaev)

Kamaru Usman

New weight class, same goal!@Usman84kg looking to establish himself as a middleweight title contender in our #UFC294 co-main! pic.twitter.com/cqZoJjnseU

— UFC (@ufc) October 21, 2023

Kamaru Usman, also known as “The Nigerian Nightmare”, is an American fighter born on May 11, 1987 ². Standing at 6’0″ with a reach of 76″, Usman has had a total of 23 fights with a record of 20-3 ². Prior to this fight, Usman had lost back-to-back title fights against Leon Edwards ¹.

Khamzat Chimaev

Wasting NO time getting into the Octagon!@KChimaev couldn't be more ready for his return to action at #UFC294 pic.twitter.com/KtdXVuF1Q9

— UFC (@ufc) October 21, 2023

Khamzat Chimaev, a Swedish fighter born on May 1, 1994, stands at 6’2″ with a reach of 75″². Prior to the fight with Usman, Chimaev had an undefeated record of 12-0 in his 12 fights ². His last fight was a submission win against Kevin Holland at UFC 279 ².

The Fight (Kamaru Usman vs Khamzat Chimaev)

The fight took place on Saturday, October 21, 2023, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi ¹. Chimaev’s grappling attack earned him a majority decision win over Usman. The official cageside judges submitted scores of 29-27, 29-27 and 28-28.

In the first round, Chimaev didn’t play around with Usman on the feet for long. After an initial exchange, “Borz” shot in for a takedown, putting Usman’s grappling in a higher weight class to the test. A few seconds later, Chimaev was locked in on Usman’s back, landing punches while looking for openings for a submission ¹. Usman remained calm but spent the entire round fending off submission attempts and defending punches from Chimaev.

After a one-sided first round, Chimaev surprisingly opted to slow things down and see how the fight would unfold on the feet ¹. The pace was light for a majority of the round, but Usman began opening up late in the round. That is before Chimaev decided it was time to shoot in for a well-timed takedown to end the round on the mat.

In the final round, Chimaev shot for an early takedown but it wasn’t there. Usman, needing to change the course of the fight, began looking to land powerful strikes ¹. The former 170-pound champ turned up the volume with punching combinations and forward pressure. However, Chimaev stopped his momentum with a takedown midway through the round ¹. Usman worked back up to his feet with less than a minute to go but couldn’t land a fight-ending blow as they unloaded strikes before the horn.

Aftermath

Chimaev secured a majority decision victory over Kamaru Usman in their middleweight clash during the co-main event at UFC 294. However, he believes he broke his right hand in the first round ⁴ ³. Despite this setback, he fought with a broken hand for two rounds against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294.

This victory leaves Chimaev undefeated in his MMA career and marks his first win of 2023. On the other hand, this marks Usman’s third straight loss ¹.

Conclusion

The middleweight bout between Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev was indeed an exciting and memorable event. Both fighters showed great skill and determination. Despite suffering an injury during the fight, Chimaev managed to secure a victory over Usman. This fight will undoubtedly go down as one of the most thrilling bouts in UFC history.

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