Kamaru Usman claims he is battle-ready for his middleweight debut against Khamzat Chimaev on Saturday in Abu Dhabi—no matter what you may have thought you heard.
Usman (20-3) steps on nine days’ notice to face “Borz” (12-0) in the co-main event at UFC 294 after Chimaev’s original opponent, Paulo Costa, was forced out due to a staph infection. “The Nigerian Nightmare” recently had fans concerned while drilling a takedown sequence with teammate Justin Gaethje during the open workouts. Some media outlets attempted to decipher words exchanged between the two from ringside footage of the workout, with some observers believing they had witnessed an injury to Usman. Rumors spread like wildfire, given Usman’s history of knee injuries. Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports wrote, “Did I hear that right at 0:18,” claiming that he had heard Gaethje ask, “Are you alright?” followed by Usman saying, “No, something popped.”
Gaethje clarified immediately afterwards that he had asked Usman if he hit his head on the mat, to which the latter replied in the negative. “The Highlight” wrote, “He said I’m good or something like that. I thought he hit his head on the mat. I asked him if he hit his head in this clip when we got up and he said no.”
However, the rumors continued to spread, forcing “The Nigerian Nightmare” to issue a clarification. Criticizing the media outlets that had engaged in public speculation, the former UFC welterweight champ wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “This is why no one reads this sh-tty ass blog. At what point while I was lightly drilling did you hear me say that to Justin. Stop with the clickbait you idiots.”
The speculation was likely due in part to Usman’s history of knee ailments, which have been severe enough that UFC commentator Joe Rogan mentioned during Usman’s last fight that he can’t walk on concrete due to the pain. Usman himself has confirmed that he walks down stairs backwards due to prolonged knee issues. Usman is currently on a two-fight skid, losing his welterweight strap to Leon Edwards in a shock upset last year before losing a majority decision in the rematch earlier this year. Meanwhile, Chimaev hasn’t competed since UFC 279 last September, where he made quick work of Kevin Holland in a last-minute matchup after missing weight by 7.5 pounds for a clash against Nate Diaz.
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