Khamzat Chimaev will make his return to the octagon at UFC 267 against Li Jingliang. The fight is on the main card for the event and both fighters will look to make an impact.

Chimaev has been out of action since September last year. His last fight was at UFC Fight Night 178. He impressively knocked his opponent Gerald Meerschaert out in 17 seconds of the first round. However, he tested positive for COVID-19 in November last year and is making his return now.

In the lead-up to the fight, both men were talking to the media when they made their statements regarding the fight. Chimaev was asked about what the fans can expect come fight night. He said, “Eat him up. The time I fight Gerald Meerschaert, they say he has most submissions in the game. Always people gonna talk somebody is better than me. I know who I am. I’m gonna go, take his head.”

Jingliang was asked about Chimaev’s statement, to which he replied, “Ok! Fine! Come on! It’s The Leach vs. The Wolf. Let’s see who eats who. Come on baby, Let’s go.”

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Khamzat Chimaev vs. Li Jingliang – The Matchup

A 14 fight veteran in the UFC, ‘The Leech’ is not an easy opponent to get through. He has developed his game over the years and has improved his striking game. He definitely has the game to trouble ‘Borz‘ but the hype is still on Chimaev’s side.

The Swede announced himself in the UFC with three ‘Performance of the Night’ performances in 2020. After his first win at UFC Fight Island 1, he entered the octagon again in just 10 days and beat Rhys McKee. He entered the octagon again two months later and knocked out his opponent in 17 seconds. Since then he has been out of action and would like to carry on his hot form against probably his toughest test yet.

The matchup between the two will be interesting as Chimaev likes to pressure his opponents from the start, and Jingliang likes to move around, and he will look to tire his opponent early. The Chinese fighter will have to use all of his octagon experience to keep his distance. Chimaev, on the other hand, would want to go after his opponent early. A win for him would mean entering the top 15, and a possible top 10 opponent the next time.

He will be motivated to take on Jingliang and going by how UFC tried booking him against Leon Edwards before. It definitely shows that he’s rated highly by the promotion. He would look to capitalize on the hype and get his hand raised.

Who do you think will win the fight? Let us know.

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