In nine days, the UFC middleweight division will have a solidified title challenger.
According to UFC CEO Dana White, the winner of the UFC 294 co-main event Oct. 21 between [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] and [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] will receive a crack at the 185-pound championship gold. Yahoo Sports first reported the news Wednesday and White confirmed in an interview Thursday with The Pat McAfee Show.
“That is an absolute fact,” White said. “The fact that these guys are taking this fight on short notice, (the winner) will get the next shot at the title barring injuries and other things that can possibly happen.”
Usman (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC) stepped in for the injured Paulo Costa on Thursday, just 10 days prior to the scheduled fight vs. Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC).
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Usman, 36, moves up to middleweight following back-to-back welterweight title fight losses to current champion Leon Edwards. Prior to the consecutive losses, Usman reigned longly over the 170-pound division and racked up five title defenses. He has not competed since UFC 286 in March.
Chimaev, 29, has not fought for even longer. His most recent win was vs. Kevin Holland at UFC 279 in September. Chimaev missed weight before the bout. After some discussion between his team and the UFC brass, Chimaev ultimately elected to move up to middleweight, where he already has two wins in the UFC.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.