Kamaru Usman vs. Khamzat Chimaev Fight Set for UFC 294 After Paulo Costa's Surgery

UFC 294 has seen another change at the top of the card, as Khamzat Chimaev will have a new opponent in the co-main event after Paulo Costa wasn't cleared following elbow surgery.

UFC president Dana White announced Wednesday that former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will be moving up to middleweight to fight Chimaev on short notice.

The change to the UFC 294 co-main event comes a day after it was announced that UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has been inserted into the main event to challenge lightweight champion Islam Makhachev on Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi after Charles Oliveira was forced to withdraw due to a cut sustained in sparring.

Costa underwent a procedure on his elbow just a few weeks ago, and he revealed on Wednesday that he has a bacterial infection that caused doctors to hold him out of the fight:

Usman (20-3) is largely considered to be among the greatest welterweight fighters in UFC history. He started his career with 15 straight wins, including five straight title defenses, before dropping back-to-back fights against current welterweight champion Leon Edwards.

Usman and Chimaev had been circling each other for quite some time. However, the former champ initially insisted that a fight between the two of them take place at 170 pounds.

Chimaev has a well-documented history of weight-cutting issues, so he unsurprisingly chose to move up to middleweight. Now, he gets his wish of facing Usman in a 185-pound bout. This will be his first fight in over a year after he improved to 12-0 with a submission win over Kevin Holland in a 180-pound catchweight fight at UFC 279 in September 2022.

Both Usman and Chimaev are known for their wrestling prowess, so it will be interesting to see which one of them will be able to impose his will. Chimaev will likely have a size advantage on fight night, so Usman could be in for a tough challenge.