UFC 294 co-headliners Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev have wrapped up their number one contender fight.
Usman found himself in another high-profile UFC fight when Paulo Costa was forced to pull out of his planned showdown with Chimaev. This one had high stakes, as the winner has been promised a shot at Sean Strickland's UFC Middleweight Championship.
Chimaev did not hesitate going after Usman with his wrestling. He scored a takedown. After a brief struggle, Chimaev took the back of Usman and rained down some punches.
"Borz" went for a choke, but "The Nigerian Nightmare" fought the hands. Usman stood up with Chimaev on his back looking for a choke. Usman slammed himself and Chimaev down to the mat, but could not create separation. Chimaev landed some punches as the first round came to a close.
A low kick was there for Usman early in the second stanza. Usman then landed a right hand. Chimaev landed a kick to the upper body. "Borz" was far less aggressive at the halfway point of round two. A high kick from Chimaev was blocked.
A right hand found a home for Usman, followed by a leg kick. With less than a minute to go in the round, Chimaev shot in and scored a takedown. The round ended with Chimaev in side control.
Chimaev went for a takedown early in the third round, but nothing doing. The two traded right hands. A jab connected for Usman, followed by another. He put the pressure on with strikes on "Borz." Chimaev had enough of the boxing and took his opponent down once again.
Usman ended up getting back to his feet around 20 seconds left in the fight. The two swung heavy leather to end the fight. This one went to the judges. Chimaev was awarded the majority decision with scores of 29-27, 29-27, and 28-28.
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