Khamzat Chimaev will have a chance to capture his biggest win yet tomorrow afternoon (Sat., Oct. 21, 2023) at UFC 294 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. when “Borz” moves back up to middleweight to challenge former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.
Chimaev was once considered the future of the UFC’s welterweight division, but a lack of activity inside of the Octagon and a few tough weight cuts essentially bumped him back up to 185 pounds. The undefeated Chechen fighter was expected to fight Paulo Costa this weekend at UFC 294, but a bad elbow injury knocked “Borrachinha” out of the fight and he was replaced by Usman on short notice.
While Usman has always been a big welterweight that people were interested in seeing compete at 185 pounds fight fans are more intrigued to see what a revamped Chimaev can do as a true middleweight. And after seeing what Khamzat did to former UFC double champion and current color commentator, Daniel Cormier, during fight week their intrigue will only grow.
On the latest episode of UFC “Embedded,” Cormier and Chimaev came together for a little pre-fight discussion. One thing led to another and the two men ended up wrestling in front of the cameras. It was all cordial until the action spilled out into the hallway and Chimaev proceeded to chase ”DC” down and lift him over his head like a ragdoll. It was quite impressive, especially considering the size and skill of Cormier.
The action starts around the 7:50 mark in the “Embedded” episode in the above video player. A short clip can be seen below as well:
What do you think, fight fans? Is Usman biting off more than he can chew fighting a revamped middleweight Chimaev on just two weeks notice?
Sound off!
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This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
