Later this month, Khamzat Chimaev is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair the torn ligament in his hand, an injury he sustained during his October bout against Kamaru Usman in UFC 294.
While the victory against the former welterweight champion marked a significant moment for Chimaev, it came at the cost of an injured hand, the severity of which was initially uncertain.
Khamzat Chimaev vs kamaru Usman round 3 💥 pic.twitter.com/DhzrO9F6xp
— Tommmy_Smart (@TommmySmart) October 21, 2023
It is now clear that he will be sidelined from competition for an extended period. Amidst speculation in the MMA community, there is anticipation that Chimaev might be prepared for a return by UFC 300.
“I’m gonna do a surgery, operation, in one-two weeks, after that, do the recovery, come back, smash somebody.”
“Tell Dana White, make that happen,” Chimaev said of fighting at UFC 300.
Had Chimaev managed to escape injury in his majority decision win against Usman, he would likely have been the frontrunner to challenge Sean Strickland for the middleweight title. However, with the injury sidelining him, it is now apparent that Dricus Du Plessis is set to be the next contender to face Strickland in January.
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