UFC 267

BREAKING: UFC books the return of Khamzat Chimaev against Li Jingliang

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The UFC has finalized the return of Khamzat Chimaev (9-0). Octagon Bet was the first to report that the promotion has finalized a matchup between Chimaev and top 15 welterweight Li Jingliang (18-6).

The matchup is set to take place at UFC 267 on October 30th. This is a huge spot for “The Leech”. The last time we saw Li was when he fought Santiago Ponzinibbio back in January. Li scored a first round knockout in that fight.

That was a massive feather in the cap for Li who derailed the hype train of Ponzinibbio. Now, Li is going to be tasked with taking out another UFC hype train in Khamzat Chimaev.

Li has been with the UFC since 2014. During that time, he’s gone 9-4 and he’s been in there with some really solid welterweights. He’s 4-1 in his last five fights with the lone loss coming against top ten contender Neil Magny.

UFC Return for Chimaev

UFC 267 will mark the highly anticipated return of Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev took the combat sports world by storm in 2020 and he looked to be on the fast track. The Chechen star made his UFC debut on Fight Island.

Chimaev won two fights in ten days and he did so in extremely dominant fashion. He made his debut at middleweight but fought his second fight at his natural weight class of 170 pounds.

After those two wins, the UFC booked him against middleweight veteran Gerald Meerschaert. It was supposed to be the first real test for Chimaev, but he made it look easy. After showing off his dominant wrestling in his first two fights, Chimaev showed his striking and power off.

Chimaev knocked Meerschaert out in just 17 seconds to pick up his third UFC win. From there, Chimaev was booked against top contender Leon Edwards for a headliner in December. Chimaev went from an unknown to potentially fighting in a title eliminator.

However, that fight fell through after both men came down with COVID-19. Chimaev had a very difficult time with COVID and contemplated retirement. However, he’s back to 100% and he has a big fight in front of him at UFC 267.

UFC books Amanda Ribas – Virna Jandiroba for the fall

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The UFC has finalized a fun matchup between Brazilian strawweights for the fall. MMA Fighting confirmed an initial report from Combate yesterday that stated that the promotion had finalized a matchup between strawweights Amanda Ribas (10-2) and Virna Jandiroba (17-2).

The fight will take place at UFC 267 on October 30th. For Jandiroba, she will be looking to pick up her second consecutive win inside the octagon. She last fought just a few weeks ago when she picked up a win over Kanako Murata.

Prior to that, Jandiroba had a fun fight with Mackenzie Dern back at UFC 256. While Dern picked up the win, Jandiroba proved to be a tough out and actually landed some good shots on the feet. Of course, Jandiroba is known for her skills on the mat as a BJJ world champion.

Jandiroba made her UFC debut back in 2019 against former strawweight champion Carla Esparza. She lost that fight, but overall, Jandiroba is 3-2 in the UFC. Her two losses have come against two of the best strawweights in the world. A win over Ribas in October would put her in a great position to move up the ladder.

Back on the UFC hype train?

Entering 2021, there might not have been a bigger hype train in the UFC’s women’s divisions than Amanda Ribas. Ribas had made her debut back in 2019 and she started 5-0 in the UFC.

Some of her notable wins included wins over Mackenzie Dern and Paige VanZant. The UFC was moving her up the ladder when they had her fight the dangerous Marina Rodriguez back in January at UFC 257.

Had Ribas won that fight, she would have likely been in a title eliminator following it. Ribas did a great job in the first round taking Rodriguez down and controlling the fight. Rodriguez is known for her power on the feet and Ribas did well to avoid it.

However, in the second round, she stood a little too long with Rodriguez and was taken out in the opening minute. It was a big blow that drastically slowed the UFC’s hype train. Ribas was supposed to fight Angela Hill over the summer, but a battle with COVID put her on the sidelines.

Now, Ribas is ready to get back in there. If she’s able to come out and put on a great performance against Jandiroba, she will be right back on track. I’m still a believer in Ribas and I’m looking forward to seeing her back in the octagon.

UFC heads back to Fight Island with Jan Blachowicz – Glover Teixeira (Report)

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Corey Anderson

Over the weekend we learned that there has been a change of plans regarding the UFC‘s upcoming light heavyweight title bout. The champion Jan Blachowicz (28-8) was set to defend his title against Glover Teixeira (32-7) in September.

That bout was supposed to take place at UFC 266 on September 25th. However, that is no longer the case. Instead, we’ve learned that the fight is being pushed back a month and the promotion is returning to Fight Island.

AG.Fight was the first to report that Blachowicz -Teixeira was being moved. The light heavyweight title fight will now headline UFC 267 on Fight Island which is tentatively scheduled to take place on October 30th.

This is actually the second time that this light heavyweight title fight has been pushed back. Originally, it was scheduled for early September before being pushed back to the end of the month. Hopefully, there’s no additional movement with the UFC title fight.

Dana White has been saying that the UFC would be returning to Fight Island at some point. After having three stretches there over a six month period, the UFC hasn’t returned since January, but the plan is for there to be multiple events on Fight Island.

UFC Returns to Fight Island

The UFC’s Fight Island PPV is getting a helluva main event with this matchup between Blachowicz and Teixeira. This fight is all about two guys who have completely turned their careers around over the past few years.

Back at UFC 210, Jan Blachowicz lost to Patrick Cummins. That loss dropped Blachowicz to 2-4 in the UFC and he was on the verge of getting cut. However, since that loss, The Polish Power has gone 9-1 on his way to capturing the UFC light heavyweight title.

Glover Teixeira has seen a very similar turnaround. Back in 2012 when Teixeira made his UFC debut, he hadn’t lost in seven years. He started his career out with the promotion by winning five straight earning him a shot against Jon Jones.

He came up short in his bid to become champion. After that loss, Teixeira went on a stretch where he was just above 500 at 5-4. Getting up there in age and becoming a 500 fighter didn’t spell well for Glover’s UFC title aspirations.

However, after his loss to Corey Anderson, Teixeira has won five consecutive fights to earn himself a title shot. His title shot will come two days after his 42 birthday and if he’s able to win at UFC 267, it will be quite the story.