Oh man, the UFC kicks off a late-year run with UFC 267 this Saturday.
The event sees the Octagon head to Abu Dhabi with a pair of title fights on the card.
Jan Blachowicz defends his light heavyweight belt vs. Glover Teixeira from Ethiad Arena in the United Arab Emirates.
Along with that fight, Cory Sandhagen and former champion Petr Yan meet for the interim bantamweight belt.
Islam Makhachev and Dan Hooker are set for a lightweight showdown, Alexander Volkov battles Marcin Tybura and Khamzat Chimaev returns.
That is the one name that stands out other than the title fights.
Chimaev took the UFC by storm before an injury derailed his run.
The 27-year-old was hit with COVID and reports of his decision to retire took everybody by surprise. But he is now healthy and ready to compete again.
In nine pro fights, Chimaev is a perfect 9-0 with six knockout wins and three more submission finishes. He signed with the UFC in 2020 and claimed a “Performance of the Night” bonus with a submission of John Phillips.
Ten days later, yes 10 days later, he stopped Rhys McKee and earned another bonus. Both of those fights took place in Abu Dhabi as the UFC ran a series of cards there during last summer.
In September of 2020, he stopped Gerald Meerschaert in just 17 seconds.
Does that career path sound familiar?
To me, it sounds a lot like that of Conor McGregor, a former two-division UFC champion.
So, while much of the headlines is geared towards the two title fights this weekend – and for good reason – keep your eye on Chimaev, as he might just be the next big superstar in MMA.
