Werlterweights Khamzaet Chimaev and Li Jingliang are reportedly on tap to meet at UFC 267 in October.
After reportedly turning down a fight against Luke Rockhold and being briefly connected to a match against Neil Magny, it seems that 2020 sensation Khamzat Chimaev finally has an official opponent for his Octagon return. Per Combate’s report, ‘Borz’ and knockout artist Li Jingliang have verbally agreed to face each other at UFC 267, though contracts are yet to be signed by both parties.
Following a stellar 2020, when Chimaev (9-0) picked up three finishes in the Octagon and rose to stardom, the 27-year-old prospect had to sit out for the following months due to a scary case of COVID-19. The situation got dire to the point where Chimaev even announced his retirement from the sport before recovering from the sickness and taking back his words.
Now, Borz will look for his fourth straight victory in the UFC, after finishing John Phillips, Rhys McKay and Gerald Meerschaert, with two wins coming via knockout and one by submission. So far, Chimaev has not gone the distance in his career.
The hard-hitting Li (18-6) will look to begin a new win streak following his knockout victory over Santiago Ponzinibbio, back in January. Before that, the 33-year-old had dropped a unanimous decision to Neil Magny, which marks Li’s sole defeat in his last five outings.
Now, Chimaev and Li are reportedly headed to UFC 267, on October 30, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between the champion, Jan Blachowicz, and challenger Glover Teixeira.