Brett OkamotoESPN Staff Writer Oct 20, 2023, 12:26am ET1 minute read
Khamzat Chimaev, one of the UFC’s rising superstars, has signed a new long-term deal with the promotion.
Chimaev’s manager Majdi Shammas told ESPN that Chimaev (12-0) signed the new contract on Tuesday. The 29-year-old Chimaev will face former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman (20-3) in a middleweight bout at UFC 294 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but Chimaev will remain exclusive to the Octagon for the foreseeable future. He had two fights left on his previous contract before agreeing to a contract extension.
UFC President Dana White has stated that Saturday’s bout will be the No. 1 contendership fight in the middleweight division, meaning the winner will face newly crowned champion Sean Strickland for the belt in his next appearance.
Chimaev, who was born in Chechnya and now fights in Dubai, has been considered a potential future multi-division champion since his UFC debut in 2020. He has fought at 170 pounds and 185 pounds.
The UFC booked him in a potential exhibition fight against Nate Diaz at UFC 279 in September 2022, but Chimaev badly missed weight the day before and was ultimately paired with Kevin Holland instead. His only other problem in the UFC was staying active. He was inactive for a year in 2020 due to health complications, and again this year for various reasons.