Former Khamzat Chimaev victim preaches respect for new champion: 'I know who I am'

Kamaru Usman (left) fighting against Khamzat Shimaev (dir.) in UFC 294. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

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With the coronation of Khamzat Shimaev in the middleweight division (up to 83,9 kg) last Saturday (16), the MMA world has increasingly remembered the opponents who managed to bring greater difficulties to the Chechen. Among them is Kamaru Usman. Even though he was one of Lobo's best opponents, the former welterweight champion (up to 77,1 kg) guarantees that he has no justification for his performance in the duel.

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The two faced each other in October 2023. At the time, the Nigerian accepted the fight with just two weeks' notice, as a replacement for the Brazilian. Paulo borrachinhaHe ended up losing by unanimous decision. Even under such circumstances, Usman didn't take away any of his former opponent's merits.

“Let’s address this, this whole ‘oh, you took the fight on notice’ thing. Look, at the end of the day, I know who I am as a fighter and the way I approached this fight, and Khamzat Shimaev too. In the end, it was still a defeat on my part and a victory for Khamzat Shimaev”, said the fighter in the latest edition of Espaitec's 'Pound 4 Pound', in which he is one of the presenters along with Henry Cejudo.

Kamaru Usman silences the 'short notice' talk — gives full credit to Khamzat

“Let's address this, the whole 'oh you took the fight on this day's notice.' Listen, at the end of the day, I know who I am as a fighter and the way I approached this game, and so does Khamzat… pic.twitter.com/yW10d30VmI

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) August 18, 2025

"It was a loss, and I don't feel anything specific. In every fight we have as fighters, you never know what we're dealing with. Khamzat did his best to win, and he did, so let's give him credit and move on," he concluded.

Chimaev is undefeated as a professional

Chimaev at a press conference UFC 308. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/Khamzat Shimaev

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After five years in the Ultimate, Chimaev managed to reach the top of the middleweight division (up to 83,9 kg) with a great victory against Dricus Du Plessis. In total, the Chechen has 15 victories in all his appearances as a professional fighter.

Besides Usman, another athlete who caused problems for Borz was Gilbert Durinho. The two faced each other in April 2022, with the Chechen winning by unanimous decision.