Kamaru Usman praises Khamzat Chimaev following UFC 267 win: “He’s doing a phenomenal job”

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman praised Khamzat Chimaev following his latest win at UFC 267, saying that “he’s doing a phenomenal job.”

Usman fights rival Colby Covington in the main event of UFC 268 on Saturday night for the UFC welterweight title, and the winner of the fight could potentially be facing Chimaev in the near future. Ahead of this Saturday’s pay-per-view event, Usman was asked by the media what he thought of Chimaev’s recent win over Li Jingliang at UFC 267 and what he thinks about potentially fighting him in the future. As far as Usman goes, what Chimaev has been doing is incredibly impressive, though he stopped short of talking about a fight.

“First and foremost, he’s done a tremendous job with the opposition he’s been presented with. No shame in that. He’s doing great. I like it. I love all the hype that’s been there. Let’s all be honest, life is not fair. We learn that as kids. Life isn’t fair, so I know some guys get a faster push, some guys don’t. It is what it is. More power to him. He’s doing a phenomenal job with the position that he’s being put in. Hats off to him,” Usman said (via MMAFighting.com). “As far as me (fighting him), you know I’m in a point in life to where I understand how much this takes from you. I’ve been nine weeks now away from my daughter, and FaceTime does help, but it doesn’t do it justice, as far as being there each and every day. So obviously I don’t know how much longer I’m willing to do this. They have to make sense for me now. If he’s able to get there, then we’ll talk about it at that point.”

Who do you think would win a welterweight fight between Kamaru Usman and Khamzat Chimaev?