"Owe ya” - Khamzat Chimaev thanked by Jon Anik for saving him from falling off treadmill in hilarious moment before UFC 294

Khamzat Chimaev was on hand to help save Jon Anik from a potential disaster ahead of UFC 294 this weekend.

Chimaev and Anik were captured running side by side on treadmills ahead of fight night, with 'Borz' in the process of cutting weight and the UFC commentator perhaps sticking to his usual fitness routine.

Anik could be heard cheering Khamzat Chimaev on before the commentator lost his footing and almost went down. 'Borz' reacted quickly, grabbing Anik's arm, as both then chuckled about what had just happened.

Footage of the incident was uploaded to X (formerly Twitter) by MMA journalist Lewis Glover, before Anik reposted the video, thanking Khamzat Chimaev.

He said:

"Owe ya, @KChimaev"

Watch the video below:

Chimaev will be taking on Kamaru Usman in an epic short-notice clash in the co-main event of UFC 294. 'Borz' was initially scheduled to face Paulo Costa, but the Brazilian was not cleared to fight due to a staph infection in his elbow.

Usman accepted the challenge and will be going up to middleweight to take on Chimaev. 'The Nigerian Nightmare' will be making his debut at 185 pounds, but his willingness to step in on short notice could provide him with the chance to become a two-division champion.

Dana White confirmed that the winner of Kamaru Usman vs. Khamzat Chimaev will take on divisional champion Sean Strickland next, making the UFC 294 co-main event a must-see affair.

---

Khamzat Chimaev shares thoughts on his lengthy absence from the UFC

Khamzat Chimaev will be making his much-anticipated return to the octagon against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294.

It will be Chimaev's first promotional appearance of 2023, with his most recent fight coming against Kevin Holland at UFC 279 in September 2022.

'Borz' defeated Holland via first-round submission and, despite absorbing minimal damage against 'Trailblazer', sat on the sidelines for months on end. His absence from the octagon confused fans, who could not understand why a previously active fighter had become so dormant.

During a pre-fight media appearance ahead of UFC 294, Chimaev was asked to explain why he was away from competition for over a year. 'Borz' said:

"I don't know man. I have the same question for you guys, for Dana White, for the UFC. I can show you a lot of messages to these guys [saying], 'Give me a fight, give me a fight.' I want to fight with the best guys. They want to put me with somebody with a name, not with the guys who are nobodies... It's not fun to watch if I'm gonna smash somebody that nobody knows. It's not gonna make money for the UFC."

Watch the video below from 4:05: