Nigerian-American mixed martial arts fighter Kamaru Usman lost his bout against Russian professional mixed martial artist Khamzat Chimaev at Etihad Arena over the weekend.
Chimaev won the fight on points, with judges awarding him the winning score of 29-27, 29-27, and 28-28 for his early dominance of Usman on the canvas.
Usman has, however, been praised for his performance at the impromptu clash, especially as he had just 10 days to prepare.
If Usman had won this fight, he could have been next in line for a UFC middleweight title shot.
Intense fight
Chimaev came fast and strong against Usman, who did not come in as aggressive as expected, with Chimaev striking the final blows just before the bell in the first two rounds.
Usman bounced back in the third round and was more dominant, but his efforts were not enough to earn him a win.
In his reaction, Usman said he was used to a 5-round match and did not get enough time to pull himself back into the match.
He told reporters, ‘’It was a miscalculation on my part’’ and that getting into a match on such short notice impacted his performance.
