Usman (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC) will enter in less than two weeks in a title fight against Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in the UFC 294 divisional event. on Saturday. at the Etihad Arena. in Abu Dhabi. The main card unfolds on pay-per-view with a special time of 2 p.m. ET after the premiere on ESPN+. Chimaev has yet to lose in his professional MMA career, but former UFC welterweight champion Usman intends to do so wherever the fight takes place. Usman won the current UFC middleweight title in 2017. UFC president Dana White says that the winner of Usman and Chimaev is next in line, and Usman thinks that's no coincidence. Although his victory over Strickland came six years ago at welterweight, Usman believes their story will make for an interesting one.
“He’s very skilled,” Usman told TMZ. “He’s strong, he’s big, he’s fast, he can wrestle, he can grapple, he can strike. He has everything – but so do I. At the end of the day, we’re all human beings. Everybody feels invincible until someone comes in and pokes that balloon.” “It’s a built-in,” Usman said. “Sean Strickland’s the champion. I’ve already taken care of him. Not to say he’s not better – he is. But I’ve got a mountain in front of me that I need to scale and climb, so we’ll get through that first and then we’ll worry about what’s next."
