ABU DHABI — Combat sports star-in-the-making Khamzat Chimaev channeled the greats of the fight game when he spoke at a media event Insider attended Wednesday.
Chimaev, 27, shook up the MMA world when he signed with the UFC in 2020 and destroyed three successive opponents without really getting hit back.
The Sweden-based Dagestani fighter suffered a setback this year when he tested positive for the coronavirus and succumbed to the disease so badly that he reportedly thought he was “going to die,” and contemplated retirement.
But he returns Saturday to the Octagon for the UFC 267 event at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for a welterweight match against Li Jingliang.
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Chimaev wore a hoodie with Muhammad Ali’s face on it, and spoke like Mike Tyson when he talked about his opponent.
“My game is going, ‘Kill, take his heart.’ Nothing more,” Chimaev chillingly said.
He later added: “I’m a warrior, I come here, kill everyone.”
When one reporter asked what the fans who attend the Etihad Arena can expect this weekend, Chimaev closed by remarking: “Just tell them, brother, ‘Kill, eat him up, get some meat, and maybe 50Gs [$50,000 — a performance-related bonus check.’
“We’ll see.”
It echoes what Chimaev has said before, on an official UFC promotional clip, when he said of Jingliang: “I like to eat him.”
Fight fans can watch whether it goes down as Chimaev intends as the UFC 267 event will be broadcast on ESPN+ in the US, and BT Sport 2 in the UK.
