Chimaev Opens As Slight Underdog In Potential Usman Fight

Khamzat Chimaev is for real, folks.

The undefeated king of the “smesh” continued his winning ways at UFC 273 this past weekend in his biggest bout yet. Tasked with the challenge of former UFC Welterweight title challenger and No. 2-ranked contender, Gilbert Burns, Chimaev threw down with the Brazilian to earn a Fight of the Night victory (watch highlights).

As a result, Chimaev has leapfrogged the division from his No. 11 spot in the rankings to supplant Burns at No. 3. Now, the mixed martial arts (MMA) world is eagerly anticipating who will be next for the Chechen destroyer.

UFC President Dana White has already said the fight to make is Chimaev vs. two-time title challenger, Colby Covington. Odds for that potential fight were recently released and initially had Chimaev as a -200 favorite to Covington’s +170. They’ve since dropped to -125 to +105 keeping Chimaev as the favorite.

Tuesday (April 12, 2022), additional odds were released per BetOnline for a fight between Chimaev and current Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. The champion is just a slight favorite at -135 to “Borz’s” +115.

The line seats Usman at his lowest as a betting since becoming champion. Previously, Usman was above a -200 favorite for his first Covington fight in Dec. 2019. In his four fights that have followed — one of which was a rematch with Covington — he’s been above a -250 favorite. This is Chimaev’s first betting line that sees him as the underdog in his UFC career.

Chimaev’s unanimous decision over Burns was his fifth career win in the UFC and his very first time needing the judges’ scorecards. Meanwhile, Usman is expected to next defend his title against Leon Edwards in the summer.