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Undefeated middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev suffered a serious injury during his majority decision win over former welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman earlier this month at UFC 294 in Adu Dhabi.
Immediately after the win, Chimaev told various media outlets that he believed he broke his right hand during the opening round of the fight, which rendered it largely inoperable for the remainder of the bout.
However, Chimaev's manager, Majdi Shammas, has since informed ESPN that the fighter did not break his hand but suffered a torn ligament during the event. 'Borz' will have to wear a brace for the next four weeks before evaluating whether surgery is required.
Khamzat Chimaev was initially slated to face former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa at UFC 294. However, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' stepped in on short notice after Costa was forced out of the event due to an ongoing bursitis injury.
With the win over Usman, the Chechen-born-UAE national is next in line to face Sean Strickland for the middleweight title. Although 'Tarzan' has discredited Chimaev's claim to the title, the UFC brass seems hell-bent on making the fight.
Chimaev is 13-0 as a professional mixed martial artist. With dominant wins across two weight classes, 'Borz' has become a true bogeyman in the premier promotion.
Sean O'Malley lauds Kamaru Usman for his performance against Khamzat Chimaev
Although the judges score cards reflected a majority decision win for Khamzat Chimaev against Kamaru Usman, many in the MMA world believe that 'The Nigerian Nightmare' did just enough to edge out a win at UFC 294.
In the opening round, 'Borz' dominated Usman on the ground and posed a legitimate submission threat for the entirety of the round. The following two rounds, however, were much closer.
UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley believes Kamaru Usman is a "gangster" for just taking the short notice fight against a fighter as dominant as Chimaev.
Furthermore, he hinted that the fan outrage about the official fight result might not be unwarranted:
"Kamaru Usman is a gangster. We always knew he was a gangster, but for him to take that fight on short notice, [and] go the distance with Chimaev. And some people were saying, I mean, that first round was definitely 10-8, but let's pretend it wasn't, and then Kamaru, well, you give him the next two rounds... he could've won that fight. Crazy."
Catch Sean O'Malley's comments below (0:03):
