As it turns out, Khamzat
Chimaev did not break his hand at UFC 294.
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Chimaev’s manager, Majdi Shammas, told
ESPN that the middleweight suffered a torn ligament in his
victory over Kamaru
Usman on Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi. As a result, Chimaev will wear a
brace on his hand for the next four weeks but is hoping to avoid
surgery.
Chimaev defeated Usman via majority decision in the UFC 294 co-main
event, a victory that will presumably give him a shot to face
reigning middleweight champion Sean
Strickland at a later date. After the victory, “Borz” revealed
that he injured his hand in the opening stanza against Usman. At
the time, Chimaev
thought it was broken.
“First round, I think I broke my hand and finger,” Chimaev said
after the bout. “I couldn’t punch hard with right hand. My right
hand is a big weapon. When you can’t use it, it’s hard to
work.”
Shortly after Chimaev’s victory, Strickland said that he felt that
the Chechen-born Swede
”doesn’t f—-ing deserve” the title shot on the basis of one
middleweight victory. Chimaev responded to Strickland’s statement
on social
media.
Strickland] you are next, don’t worry,” Chimaev wrote. “You
know [how] fast I can finish you.”