Former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman last night faced the undefeated powerhouse Khamzat Chimaev on his debut in the middleweight dvision at the Etihad Arena in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday.
Chimaev was originally scheduled to face Paulo Costa but the Brazilian had to withdraw for medical reasons.
This matchup had initially garnered substantial attention when Usman was reigning as the welterweight champion and Chimaev was a title contender. However, now it’s taking place in the middleweight division, setting the stage for a No. 1 contender’s showdown in Abu Dhabi.
Usman, whose last fiught before this was in March, lost the rubber match to the current welterweight champion, Leon Edwards is widely regarded as one of the best welterweights of all time and a pound-for-pound great.
Khamzat Chimaev was declared winner by majority decision after been scored highest by 2 of the judges.