Kamaru Usman responds to injury rumour ahead of Khamzat Chimaev test at UFC 294

The ex-welterweight champion will make his middleweight debut on Saturday, stepping in on 10 days’ notice

Kamaru Usman has played down suggestions that he has suffered a knee injury ahead of UFC 294, where he steps in to fight Khamzat Chimaev on 10 days’ notice.

Usman, who held the welterweight title from 2018 until 2022, will make his middleweight debut on Saturday (21 October), when he faces one of MMA’s most fearsome prospects in Chimaev.

Usman, 36, is stepping in for the injured Paulo Costa, and some fans are concerned that the veteran’s knees – which have long pained him, per the Nigerian-American – are playing up ahead of the fight in Abu Dhabi. One fan claimed to have heard Usman say “something popped” after the fighter landed a takedown on teammate Justin Gaethje at Wednesay’s open workout, but the former champion was quick to deny the suggestion.

“I’m fine,” Usman said at the UFC 294 press conference on Thursday (19 October). “That’s how rumours start: Somebody posts something, everyone starts jumping on it, and then all of the doctors start jumping on it. The knees are fine, and they’ll be put to use this Saturday.”

Earlier on Thursday, Usman also addressed the rumour on his YouTube channel, saying: “Whoever started it, whoever said they heard or saw it... How could you have possibly heard what I said, when it’s me and Justin on a stage in front of thousands of people in a mall?

“Were you next to us, to where you heard what I was saying? How stupid, just dumb. And if my knee was hurt, why would I get up and [continue] hitting mitts?

“Oh, my God, people believe anything you put on this internet. Anything, any f***ing thing. Whoever that was, stop it. Stop with the clickbait. Did not say that. Clearly I’m fine. Dummies.”

Usman last fought in March, failing to regain the welterweight title from Leon Edwards in a trilogy bout in London. Edwards, who won that fight via decision, knocked out Usman last August to take the belt from his old rival, who outpointed the Briton in 2015.

Meanwhile, 29-year-old Chimaev is unbeaten as a professional, with 11 stoppage wins from 12 fights. His most recent outing came against Kevin Holland in September 2022, when the Russian-born Swede submitted the American in Round 1.

Chimaev is unbeaten, having fought at middleweight and welterweight in the UFC (Getty Images)

In the main event of UFC 294, Alexander Volkanovski will challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title, after stepping in for Charles Oliveira on 11 days’ notice.

Featherweight champion Volkanovski failed to dethrone Makhachev in February, when the Russian won a narrow decision against the Australian in Perth.

Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos.