Few fighters have captured the imagination quite like Khamzat Chimaev when he burst onto the scene on ‘Fight Island’ in the summer of 2020.

Between July and September of that year, Chimaev won three straight fights (in just over 60 days) before taking more than a year off before his next test: a showdown with the tough Chinese Li Jingliang. The contest was considered to be a stern test of Chimaev’s credentials, particularly as he exited what was the longest period of inactivity in his professional career to that point.

Chimaev, though, warned that he would make the contest look easy — and that’s exactly how it transpired, as sunk in the fight-ending rear-naked choke a little over three minutes into the first round. Check it out below.

The 28-year-old, who now officially competes in the UFC’s middleweight division, returns to action next month in Saudi Arabia against Brazil’s Paulo Costa.

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