Kamaru Usman to replace Paulo Costa to fight Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294

After an uncertain past 48 hours, with the fate of UFC 294 hanging in the balance, the co-main event for the card is now official following an announcement from UFC resident Dana White. No. 4-ranked welterweight Khamzat Chimaev will face No. 1-ranked welterweight and former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 21.

The change comes after an infection suffered by Chimaev's original opponent, Paulo Costa, who sits sixth in the middleweight rankings. While Costa originally claimed that he would not pull out of the fight following surgery, the Brazilian fighter recently updated fans with a statement announcing that he will require further surgeries that will prevent him from being medically cleared by the date of the card.

While Usman has never fought at 185 pounds, he should be a tough test for Chimaev with his strong wrestling background and well-rounded fight style. The former champion comes into this fight having previously boasted a 15-fight win streak before losing back-to-back fights to current welterweight champion Leon Edwards.

This fight is the second major change to UFC 294 following the breaking news that Alexander Volkanovski would be stepping in for Charles Oliveira after a cut to the Brazilian's eyebrow ruled him out of the title fight. Volkanovski will be stepping in 11 days notice, looking to finally claim the lightweight belt after losing a close decision against Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. Makhachev will be looking for his second title defense upcoming.

The UFC 294 card has been completely put on its head, but with big names stepping in fans can be prepared for an exciting night of action.