Khamzat Chimaev Confirms Return To UFC, Opponent & Date Set

One of the UFC's most promising newer stars has their next fight booked. Khamzat Chimaev will return to the Octagon on UFC 267. Via Khamzat's Instagram, a graphic from MMAJunkie reveals that Khamzat fights Li Jingliang on Oct 30.

Khamzat Chimaev exploded onto the UFC scene in 2020, taking advantage of opportunities on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. He first fought at middleweight, submitting John Phillips, and then 10 days later fought at welterweight, stopping Rhys McKee with a 1st round TKO. He then took a step up in competition, back to middleweight, KOing Gerald Meerschart in 17 seconds. All of his UFC have earned a Performance of the Night bonus, and his 10 day turnaround between fights is the quickest in the UFC's modern era (Zuffa days).

Chimaev hit a roadblock when he suffered a bout with COVID-19, taking him out of a scheduled bout with Leon Edwards. Complications surrounding that led to the Swedish fighter briefly announcing his retirement, but it appears those issues are in the rear view mirror. Wishing him the best, and he is undoubtedly an exciting part of the UFC roster.