One of the most impressive debut performers on “UFC Fight Island” has earned himself a swift turnaround and a chance to repeat the trick at the same venue.
Sweden’s [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] defeated Welsh knockout artist John Phillips via second-round D’Arce choke at UFC on ESPN+ 30 on Wednesday night at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi in a performance that earned rave reviews.
That victory saw Chimaev move up to middleweight for his octagon debut, but now the 26-year-old will be given the opportunity to make a quick turnaround and compete at his optimal weight class of welterweight when he returns to action Saturday night at UFC on ESPN 14 at Flash Forum.
Chimaev (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will take on former Cage Warriors welterweight contender [autotag]Rhys McKee[/autotag]. The fight was confirmed by UFC president Dana White during the post-fight press conference at UFC on ESPN+ 30.
UFC on ESPN 14 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+.
McKee (10-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is a previous lightweight champion for U.K. promotion BAMMA and, after signing for Cage Warriors in 2018, picked up a pair of stoppage wins in the promotion’s lightweight division.
Most recently, McKee opted to start a new chapter in his career as he moved up to welterweight and scored a 63-second knockout of Hakon Foss to position himself for a shot at the promotion’s 170-pound strap.
But now, instead of preparing for a title shot during Cage Warriors’ scheduled three-night triple-header in September, McKee is packing his bags and getting ready to head to Yas Island for his octagon debut.
With the addition, the UFC on ESPN 14 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Mauricio Rua
- Alexander Gustafsson vs. Fabricio Werdum
- Carla Esparza vs. Marina Rodriguez
- Gadzhimurad Antigulov vs. Paul Craig
- Alex Oliveira vs. Peter Sobotta
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)
- Jai Herbert vs. Francisco Trinaldo
- Nicolas Dalby vs. Jesse Ronson
- Tom Aspinall vs. Jake Collier
- Movsar Evloev vs. Mike Grundy
- Tanner Boser vs. Raphael Pessoa
- Bethe Correia vs. Pannie Kianzad
- Ramazan Emeev vs. Niklas Stolze
- John Castaneda vs. Nathaniel Wood
- Khamzat Chimaev vs. Rhys McKee