Khamzat Chimaev set for surgery, vows to “smash somebody” in his UFC return

Khamzat Chimaev will be going under the knife after suffering an injury during his UFC 294 fight with Kamaru Usman.

Chimaev (13-0 MMA) squared off with Usman (20-4 MMA) in a middleweight contest that served as the co-main event of October’s pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ had accepted that bout on just ten days’ notice, this after Khamzat’s original opponent Paulo Costa was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Despite having limited time to prepare, and fighting up a weight class, the former welterweight kingpin gave Khamzat Chimaev all he could handle at UFC 294, losing a razor close majority decision.

‘Borz’ had dominated the first round of that contest but appeared to fade while struggling to find his range in rounds two and three.

Following the contest, it was revealed the Khamzat Chimaev had sustained a hand injury in the opening round of the fight. While the extent of the injury was not originally known, ‘The Wolf’ recently revealed that he will have to go under the knife to repair the torn ligament in his hand.

“I’m gonna do a surgery, operation, in one-two weeks,” Chimaev said on an Instagram Live (h/t MMA Crazy). “After that, do the recovery, come back, smash somebody.”

Chimaev has gone a perfect 7-0 to start his UFC career and it was originally thought that a win over Usman would secure him the next title shot against reigning middleweight champion, Sean Strickland.

However, due to the injury, and possibly his underwhelming performance against Usman, the UFC opted to give that title opportunity to surging middleweight contender Dricus Du Plessis instead.

Who would you like to see Khamzat Chimaev fight when he recovers from surgery and is ready to return to the Octagon? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!