Darren Till expects Khamzat Chimaev to steamroll Kamaru Usman.
After Paulo Costa wasn’t cleared to fight, Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will now face short-notice replacement Usman (20-3 MMA, 15-2 UFC) in a middleweight bout in Saturday’s UFC 294 co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view at a special time of 2 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.
Till is a good friend and training partner of Chimaev’s, but bias aside, he sees the undefeated Chimaev dominating the former UFC welterweight champion.
“I love Khamzat – God bless him,” Till told The Schmo. “Usman’s got balls, but I just think Khamzat is going to run over him – I do. As much as I’m his friend, I’m his biggest fan, Khamzat. I think he’s going to run over Usman. All respect to him. He is a GOAT, but yeah – I think Khamzat is going to ragdoll him. I do, sorry to say.”
Usman will look to rebound after back-to-back title losses to Leon Edwards. Chimaev will return for the first time since he scored a quick submission of Kevin Holland in September 2022. Chimaev vs. Holland was a 180-pound catchweight bout after Chimaev missed weight by nine pounds in his originally scheduled welterweight bout against Nate Diaz at UFC 279.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 294.
