Report: Chimaev agrees to return vs. Li at UFC 267
Khamzat Chimaev is back.
Chimaev and Li Jingliang have verbally agreed to meet in a welterweight bout at UFC 267 on Oct. 30, sources told MMA Junkie's Farah Hannoun.
One of the hottest prospects in the sport, Chimaev has been out of action since September due to lingering COVID-19 symptoms. He briefly hinted at retirement in March due to his lengthy bout with the virus, but he said shortly thereafter he intended to resume his career.
Chimaev was scheduled to fight top welterweight contender Leon Edwards on three occasions in late 2020 and early 2021, but the matchup fell apart each time.
The 27-year-old made huge waves in his first two UFC bouts last summer, finishing John Phillips and Rhys McKee in the span of 10 days. Chimaev followed up those performances with a 17-second knockout of Gerald Meerschaert at middleweight to extend his professional record to 9-0.
Li, the No. 12-ranked welterweight, is coming off a knockout win over Santiago Ponzinibbio in January. "The Leech" is 4-1 in his past five outings.
UFC 267 is reportedly expected to take place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. A light heavyweight title bout between champion Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira is rumored to headline the event.