Can Khamzat Chimaev make UFC history?
Just last week, [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev [/autotag]established himself as the next UFC fighter out of Dagestan to take seriously. Normally a welterweight, Chimaev took a fight one weight class up on short notice and absolutely mauled veteran John Phillips. Chimaev scored one of just a handful of 10-7 scorecards in UFC history in the first round en route to winning via second-round TKO.
Chimaev (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) said he wanted a quick turnaround. He got it, and he won’t get a pushover as he takes on Northern Ireland’s [autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag], a former Cage Warriors champ who has the opportunity to make his name just as quickly as Chimaev made his.
If Chimaev defeats McKee (10-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), that will give him victories 10 days apart, which would be a record for fastest consecutive wins since the end of the one-night tournament era, adding another layer of intrigue to what’s already one of the more interesting short-notice fights in a while. The current record is 13 days by Chas Skelly, who defeated Tom Niinimaki and Sean Soriano in 2014.
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