KHAMZAT CHIMAEV bagged himself a middleweight title fight with a hard-fought decision victory over Kamaru Usman.
The undefeated Russian made his long-awaited octagon return in the co-main event of UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night.
GETTYKamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev locked horns in the co-main event of UFC 294[/caption]
Chimaev, 29, was welcomed to the middleweight division by fellow debutant Usman, who accepted the fight on 11 day’s notice following Paulo Costa’s withdrawal.
Former pound-for-pound king Usman was expected to provide the Chechen clubber with the toughest test of his unblemished career.
And he did just that, pushing Chimaev to the very brink in the third and final round.
The judges scored the contest 29-27, 29-27, 28-28.
Usman looked to to stay at range early doors and avoid a takedown.
But it wasn’t long before Chimaev grounded him with a single-leg.
He quickly took the former welterweight champ’s back and started dropping bombs.
A standing rear-naked choke was seemingly on the cards before Usman threw himself to the octagon canvas to avoid the submission.
FREE BETS – BEST BETTING OFFERS AND BONUSES NEW CUSTOMERS
Usman eventually worked his way back to his feet but found himself grounded once again until the round ended.
Usman came back strong in the second round and landed a hard low kick.
He followed that up with a strong left hand after getting Chimaev to bite on a takedown feint.
A head kick attempt was partially blocked by Chimaev, although he ended up eating a stiff right hand with just over a minute of the round remaining.
Wary of the optics Chimaev shot in for and secured a takedown to try and steal the round.
Usman saw off an early takedown attempt early in the third which would’ve given him renewed confidence.
Another head kick partially landed for the Nigerian Nightmare, but he ended up slipping on his backside.
Aware that he needed a finish, Usman started letting his hands go and having success in boxing range.
A tired Chimaev looked to bring the fight back down to his domain with a prolonged single leg, which he was eventually successful with.
Usman did a good job of not allowing the Chechen to advance his position and eventually made his way back to his feet.
He started teeing off with 20 seconds to go and landed a few shots inside the pocket, although he took a few.
But he was unable to land the shot needed to close the show and pick up an incredible upset victory.