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BREAKING: Khamzat Chimaev Returns to UFC Action- Will Fight at UFC 267 in October

Published 07/09/2021, 9:17 AM EDT

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Rising UFC prospect Khamzat Chimaev will make his long-awaited return at UFC 267, according to the latest sources. The welterweight fighter will take on Chinese Li Jingliang upon his return to the octagon.

The official contracts are yet to be signed by the fighters but it seems like the promotion is content with this fight going ahead.

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Chimaev has been a ruthless force in his brief period in UFC. He last fought against Gerald Meerschaert in a middleweight bout in September last year.

After going 3-0 over his first three UFC bouts, he was scheduled to face Leon Edwards in a welterweight main event fight and a win would have exposed him to the top of the 170lbs division. But the fight never made it past the talks as Chimaev fell victim to COVID-19. This halted his flourishing career.

Jingliang. on the other hand, isn’t a top opponent for ‘Borz’, but he still is a Top-15 ranked fighter. His latest match fetched him an impressive KO win over Santiago Ponzinibbio.

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This match clearly indicates that the UFC wants to fast-track Chimaev’s return. It will be interesting to see how his first matchup after the halt goes. He had hyped his return recently and had also named few fighters on his to-do list.

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Chimaev (9-0) started his UFC career in a flash. After going undefeated for other promotions, he made his deserving debut for UFC in July last year against John Phillips. He used his grappling skills to utmost effect in securing a 2nd round brabo choke submission win.

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If his debut was impressive, his second match nearly doubled the impact and he put the world on notice. He fought Rhys Mckee next, just after his first match at UFC on ESPN 14. He dismantled McKee in just over 3 minutes into the first round via TKO.

His third fight, as mentioned, happened against Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Fight Night 178. He knocked out the latter just 17 seconds into the first round.

Meanwhile, Jingliang (18-6) is in his 7th year for the promotion. ‘The Leech’ has picked up 4 wins in his last 5 matches. As mentioned, his last fight ended in a KO win against Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC on ABC 1 this January.

He incurred his last loss against Neil Magny at UFC 248: Adesanya vs Romero in a hard-fought 3rd round unanimous decision.

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It will be a test for ‘Borz’ as he is returning from a serious disease and its complications. He has to make up for the lost time and continue his march towards the welterweight title challenge.

Who do you see prevailing in the end?

 

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Written by:

Akshyay Srichandan Mahapatra

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Akshyay Mahapatra is a UFC author for EssentiallySports. He wished to combine his passion for the UFC (that he has been following since 2008) as well as his love for writing. This motivated him to enter the world of combat sports journalism.
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