Kamaru Usman to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294: Paulo Costa withdrawal.

Kamaru Usman replaces Paulo Costa to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. Usman makes his middleweight debut against the dominant prospect.

In a surprising turn of events, Kamaru Usman will be stepping into the octagon to face off against Khamzat Chimaev in the co-main event of UFC 294. This comes after Paulo Costa withdrew from the fight just 10 days before the scheduled bout.

Usman, who had a remarkable reign as the welterweight champion from 2018 to 2022, will be making his middleweight debut in this highly anticipated matchup. His opponent, Chimaev, is considered one of the most dominant prospects in the world of mixed martial arts, boasting an impressive professional record of 12-0 with 11 stoppage wins.

The confirmation of this matchup came on Wednesday, October 11th, when Costa revealed that he would need to undergo two elbow surgeries, with one already completed two weeks prior. As a result, the Brazilian fighter had to withdraw from UFC 294, which is set to take place in Abu Dhabi on October 21st.

Interestingly, Costa's withdrawal marked the second time in just two days that a Brazilian fighter had to back out of a fight. The day before, Charles Oliveira had to withdraw from the main event of UFC 294 due to a severe cut over his right eye. Oliveira was supposed to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title in a rematch, exactly one year after Makhachev had submitted him in the same venue in Abu Dhabi.

To fill the void left by Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski, the current featherweight champion, has stepped in to take on Makhachev in what promises to be an intense rematch. Volkanovski had previously faced Makhachev in February, narrowly losing a close decision and failing to capture the lightweight belt.

As for Usman, his last fight took place in March, where he suffered a decision loss to Leon Edwards in a welterweight title challenge. Edwards claimed the title from Usman in August of the previous year with a devastating head kick. On the other hand, Chimaev's most recent fight was in September 2022, where he submitted Kevin Holland in the first round.

It's worth noting that Chimaev was originally slated to face Nate Diaz in his last fight, but he missed weight, resulting in a last-minute change to the card. Diaz, instead, went on to fight and submit Tony Ferguson in the main event.

With these unexpected changes and intriguing matchups, UFC 294 is shaping up to be a must-watch event for fight fans worldwide. The anticipation is high as these fighters prepare to step into the octagon and showcase their skills on October 21st.