UFC CEO, Dana White has confirmed the victor of next weekend’s middleweight co-headliner between former welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, and the undefeated, Khamzat Chimaev, will go on to fight incumbent middleweight titleholder, Sean Strickland for the division’s undisputed crown.
Earlier tonight, promotional boss, White confirmed that a scheduled middleweight fight between Chimaev and one-time title challenger, Paulo Costa had fallen to the wayside, after the Brazilian required a third surgical procedure to address a bursitis infection in his elbow.
And as a result, the organization have since booked a middleweight bout – subsequently an official title eliminator between Chimaev and former pound-for-pound number one and prior welterweight kingpin, Usman for UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, UAE next weekend.