“Started smiling like a psychopath!” Khamzat Chimaev brought Kamaru Usman’s joy back for fighting after UFC’s short-notice call, reveals manager

Kamaru Usman was apparently piqued at the prospect of facing Khamzat Chimaev, in the co-main event of UFC 294.

“Started smiling like a psychopath!” Khamzat Chimaev brought Kamaru Usman’s joy back for fighting after UFC’s short-notice call, reveals manager

Ali Abdelaziz on Kamaru Usman been delighted to fight Khamzat Chimaev (Source: IMAGO)

The UFC 294 PPV card almost became a disaster when Paulo Costa and Charles Oliveira exited from the fight card. The UFC immediately improved the card with the addition of Alexander Volkanovski and Kamaru Usman as replacements. Usman will face Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight bout. Dominance MMA CEO and Usman’s manager Ali Abdelaziz reported Usman’s reactions to the fight.

”In the back of my mind, I was like, ‘Why Kamaru, you know?’ Lately, I’ve been talking to Kamaru about fighting, and he’s like, ‘Nothing interests me,” said Abdelaziz in an interview with ESPN’s Bret Okamoto. “I called him, and Kamaru’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, and he started smiling like a psychopath.”

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Abdelaziz mentioned receiving the call from CEO Dana White, Hunter Campbell, and others. The proposal was for a middleweight face-off between the two. While initially uninterested, Abdelaziz mentioned Usman’s interest piqued by the involvement of Chimaev. Usman and Chimaev engaged in a Twitter beef throughout 2023. Usman expressed interes in fighting the Chechnan-born fighter. However, the bout never materialized because Chimaev had issues making the welterweight limit.

Formerly #1 pound-for-pound fighter, Usman is one of the biggest names in the promotion. Usman never moved to the middleweight division because of his friendship with Israel Adesanya. Now, with Adesanya out of the picture, Usman can possibly land a title shot with a win over Chimaev. Only time will tell if Usman can defeat Chimaev in his middleweight debut.

Related: “My wet mop in my house has more charisma,” Colby Covington calls out ‘uncharismatic’ Kamaru Usman for wanting Khamzat Chimaev fight

Kamaru Usman proclaims himself as the best welterweight despite losing the title

While talking to backstage reporters at UFC 290, welterweight Kamaru Usman said he was still the best fighter in the welterweight division despite losing the title. Leon “Rocky” Edwards scored a fifth-round knockout win over Usman. The KO ended Usman’s dominant title reign, and he lost the trilogy fight via decision at UFC 286. While talking to MMA Junkie, Usman stated his reputation remains unscathed despite the loss.

Kamaru Usman
Kamaru Usman (Image Courtesy – Sports Illustrated)

Usman shared a similar sentiment in 2022 while speaking to TMZ Sports after the loss. He claimed that Edwards knew who the better fighter was. While talking to MMA Junkie in July, Usman said he had walked into Dana White’s office to plead for a match against Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev was a top-ranked fighter, and Usman wanted to defeat him to get back to title contention.

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Usman finally got his wish. With the match finally happening, Usman would dedicate himself to rectifying his current skids and return to his glory. Usman vs. Chimaev will co-main event the Abu Dhabi PPV card. The winner could potentially become next in line for a middleweight title shot.

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