Khamzat Chimaev returns at UFC 267 in the welterweight division against Li Jingliang

Top prospect Khamzat Chimaev is set to make his return to the Octagon when he fights Li Jingliang in a welterweight bout set for UFC 267.

Raphael Marinho of Combate reported the Chimaev vs. Jingliang matchup for UFC 267, which is set to take place on October 30 in Abu Dhabi. According to the scribe, the matchup between Chimaev and Jingliang has been agreed to and all that’s left are for the contracts to be signed. But at this point, it looks like this is the fight the UFC wants.

Ultimate acertou o retorno de Khamzat Chimaev para o UFC 267 contra Li Jingliang. Apuramos que os dois lados aceitaram a luta, falta só a assinatura dos contratos. #feedmma

— Raphael Marinho (@raphamarinho) July 9, 2021

Ultimate hit the return of Khamzat Chimaev for UFC 267 against Li Jingliang. We found out that both sides accepted the fight, all that’s left is the signing of contracts.#feedmma

Chimaev will be making his return to the cage for the first time since last fall when he knocked out Gerald Meerschaert in a middleweight bout the last September. After going 3-0 over his first three UFC bouts, Chimaev was scheduled to take on Leon Edwards in a welterweight main event that would have pushed him into the elite of the 170lbs division had he won the fight. But the matchup never materialized after Chimaev came down with a bad case of COVID-19 that temporarily threatened to halt his career. Fortunately, Chimaev is now feeling healthy and he is ready to step back into the Octagon once again.

While Jingliang isn’t a top-five opponent like Edwards was, he is still a top-15 ranked fighter who is coming off of a big KO win over Santiago Ponzinibbio in his last fight. It will be interesting to see how Chimaev looks considering it’s been such a long time since he’s fought. With a win over Jingliang, look for the UFC to fast-track Chimaev once again.

Who do you think wins this welterweight bout between Khamzat Chimaev and Li Jingliang?