Overview
- Speaking on his Pound 4 Pound podcast, Kamaru Usman said he has heard Khamzat Chimaev is around 225–230 pounds and struggling to reach the middleweight limit.
- Usman likened Chimaev’s trajectory to Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, who found success after moving up in weight following extreme cuts.
- Chimaev won the middleweight title over Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 in August and has not yet made his first defense.
- Rather than schedule a defense, the 15-0 champion has repeatedly called out light-heavyweight titleholder Alex Pereira for a cross-division fight.
- Usman floated that shifting to 205 pounds could be a calculated move that opens a middleweight title lane for contenders such as Nassourdine Imavov.