Khamzat Chimaev proved once again that the hype surrounding him is absolutely justified.
Following a 13-month layoff, Chimaev returned at UFC 267 and made short work of Li Jingliang with a dominant showcase to get his fourth straight win inside the octagon. After landing an early takedown, Chimaev just shredded Li’s defense before locking in the rear-naked choke that put the Chinese welterweight to sleep with the end coming at just 3:16 in the opening round.
The finish came after Chimaev actually carried Li over to the side of the octagon where UFC president Dana White was sitting and that wasn’t by accident.
“I said to [Dana White] I’m the king here,” Chimaev shouted following his win. “I kill everybody. You believe me now? He [went to] sleep.”
Chimaev wasted no time dropping down low and snatching an early takedown to bring Li crashing down to the canvas. With Li stuck underneath him, Chimaev was patient with his punches while constantly looking to advance his position in the grappling exchange.
After taking the back and sinking in his hooks, Chimaev started hammering away with some vicious ground and pound as Li was just trapped without any room to escape.
Eventually, Li tried to roll out of the position but that just opened him up for the submission as Chimaev immediately latched onto the rear naked choke. While he had to make a couple of adjustments, Chimaev finally locked up the choke and when Li refused to tap out, he ended up going to sleep.
Chimaev began celebrating as he gets his fourth win in the UFC, which comes just over a year after his last fight due to a nasty case of COVID-19 that kept him out for several months.
Now that he’s back, Chimaev made it clear that everybody in the welterweight division just got added to his hit list as he looks to become champion sooner rather than later.
“Everybody. I come here for everybody,” Chimaev said about who he wants to fight next. “I kill everybody. I’m the champ. I’m the king.”
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