Another significant alteration for UFC 294 is the arrival of a well-known replacement.
UFC president Dana White made the announcement on social media on Wednesday that Kamaru Usman, the former welterweight champion, will now compete against Khamzat Chimaev in the co-main event of the program on October 21 in Abu Dhabi. Paulo Costa was scheduled to meet Chimaev, but the latter had elbow surgery three weeks prior and was not cleared to play.At welterweight, Usman is ranked No. 2 in the world by ESPN, while Chimaev is ranked No. 4. The fight was originally set to take place at middleweight, where Costa was the opponent.
Costa stated on social media that he had no intention of pulling out of the fight.
Usman (20-3) hasn’t competed since losing to Leon Edwards in a title rematch at UFC 286 in March. In August 2022, Edwards defeated the fighter who was born in Nigeria and trains in Florida and Colorado Saudi Arabia will host the UFC’s March 2024 Fight Night show.for the title. Prior to the two losses, Usman, 36, had the second-longest winning streak in UFC history, having won 15 fights in a row. According to ESPN, Usman is the sixth-best player in the world, pound for pound.
With five finishes, Chimaev (12-0) has a 6-0 record in the UFC. The fighter, who is Chechen, has competed in the UFC at both middleweight and welterweight weight classes. Chimaev, 29, is regarded as one of the UFC’s most formidable young fighters and a future champion in either weight class.
Islam Makhachev will defend his UFC lightweight title against Alexander Volkanovski, the featherweight champion, in the main event of UFC 294 on Saturday. Charles Oliveira, the former lightweight champion, suffered a cut during training and had to withdraw from the Makhachev bout, which is how the fight came together on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia Will host the UFC hold March 2024 Fight Night Now
The Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund purchased a small portion in PFL, an MMA organization that competes with the UFC, in August.
In the boxing world, Saudi Arabia has also been active, bringing major events to the nation, such as the forthcoming Oct. 28 fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou. Soccer, golf, and Formula One racing are among the other sports in which the Saudis have made significant investments.
On March 2, 2024, the UFC will host its inaugural event in Saudi Arabia, authorities confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday.
In honor of the Riyadh Season celebration in Saudi Arabia, the card will feature a fight night. In the upcoming months, UFC President Dana White is expected to reveal the opponents for the show.
The Saudi General Entertainment Authority is partnering on the event.
Following the UFC and WWE merger to form the new publicly traded TKO company under Endeavor, the news was released. Since 2014, WWE has held events in Saudi Arabia thanks to a profitable agreement. Two significant WWE events are held there year.