Khamzat Chimaev will finall return to action in October, after having one of the more memorable years so far in 2021 despite not having competed.
Octagonbet first reported the news that Chimaev will fight Li Jingliang at UFC 267 on October 30, which is expected to take place on ‘Fight Island.’ Jingliang would confirm the news of his booking on social media.
Chimaev (9-0) burst onto the UFC scene in 2020 and became a star in no time. “Borz” set a UFC record by getting three wins in 66 days. In his UFC debut, he submitted John Phillips. 10 days later, he turned right around and defeated Rhys McKee setting the fastest consecutive win. Three weeks later, he knocked Gerald Meerschaert in 17 seconds. Those three wins got him a date with Leon Edwards; however, COVID-19 would strike, and the fight would never happen. Chimaev had been struggling with COVID most of the early part of 2021, and it was so bad he wanted to retire. Thankfully, Chimaev is healthy.
Jingliang (18-6) is coming off the biggest win of his career. At UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar in January, he knocked out Santiago Ponzinibbio in round one to win ‘Performance of the Night.’ Before his knockout win, he had his three-fight win streak snapped against Neil Magny at UFC 248 last year.
UFC 267 is expected to take place ‘Fight Island’ in Abu Dhabi, although the UFC has not officially announced anything. The main event will be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between champion Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira.
The UFC 267 fight card so far looks like this:
- Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira – for the light heavyweight title
- Amanda Ribas vs. Virna Jandiroba
- Khamzat Chimaev vs. Li Jingliang
