Khamzat Chimaev improved his unbeaten record when he faced Kamaru Usman on Saturday, October 21 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The pair squared off in the co-main event at UFC 294: Makhachev vs Volkanovski 2 live on ESPN+ PPV.
The scheduled for three rounds middleweight bout went the full distance. Chimaev was close to secure a choke early on, yet, the fight ended with both fighters throwing punches in the middle of the cage. In the end, one judge had it a draw at 28-28, while two other judges gave 29-27 to Chimaev. Usman was unhappy with the decision.
With the victory by majority decision, Stockholm, Sweden-based Khamzat Chimaev remained undefeated and improved 13-0.
Post-fight Chimaev called for peace.
“Muslim, Christian, Jewish – doesn’t matter. Please guys, be together. Let us live in this World good and be happy,” he said. “Thank you guys.”
On his victory against Usman, Chimaev said: “I was a school kid, when he was fighting. I’m a big fan of Usman, big fan of his coaches. He has good team.”
In his next fight the 29-year-old native of Chechnya is expected to challenge for the title.
“I didn’t come here for the titles,” Chimaev said. “[I came here to] make money, be happy, fight somebody”. He also thanked the UFC officials for the opportunity and his home country.
Denver, Colorado-based Kamaru Usman, dropped to 20-4 and suffered his third defeat in a row. The 36-year-old former UFC welterweight champion from Nigeria took the fight on a short notice, replacing Paulo Costa, who had undergone elbow surgery and pulled out from the contest.
Khamzat Chimaev vs Kamaru Usman video highlights
In Australia, the event aired on Sunday, October 22 live on Kayo.
Get UFC 294: Makhachev vs Volkanovski 2 full fight card results.