MMA super prospect Khamzat Chimaev wasn't even aware his next opponent was in the UFC
- Khamzat Chimaev didn't even know his next MMA opponent competed in the UFC.
- To demonstrate his lack of knowledge about Li Jingliang, he butchered the pronunciation of his name.
- Chimaev fights Jingliang at UFC 267 on Saturday and is determined to smash him like everybody else.
ABU DHABI - MMA super prospect Khamzat Chimaev wasn't even aware his Saturday opponent competed in the UFC.
"I didn't know this guy was in the UFC at all," the 27-year-old fighter, who is unbeaten in nine pro bouts to date, said at a media day Insider attended Wednesday.
Chimaev returns to the UFC Octagon after a 13-month layoff, which featured a battle with a coronavirus infection so severe he coughed up blood and received hospital treatment, to fight Li Jingliang on the main card of UFC 267.
The event takes place at the recently-built Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Perhaps to demonstrate how little he knows of Jingliang, Chimaev butchered the pronunciation of the Chinese athlete's name.
"When I hear his name. I'm like, 'What?' I can't speak his name," he said before admitting that, through training camp, he has seen highlights of Jingliang's - including his 2020 loss to Neil Magny.
"I don't like to watch my opponents. I'm more focused on what I'm going to do. I don't think about my opponents.
"I go in, smash this guy. If you focus on what he do, he's going to do something. But if you focus on what you're going to do, you do everything."
Chimaev set the MMA world alight since arriving in the UFC, dominating a hat-trick of opponents while barely breaking a sweat.
He seemingly vowed to do similar to Jingliang this weekend. "I don't think these guys want to fight me after this fight," he said regarding potential opponents in the future. "We'll see what happens after this fight."
Chimaev finished: "Always people going to talk someone is better, but I'm going to go and take his head. I'm going to eat him up like I do always. Nine fights, nine finishes."
The Swedish-Russian athlete's 10th pro bout will be broadcast on ESPN+ in the US and BT Sport 2 in the UK.