In less than two weeks, Khamzat Chimaev has become one of the hottest prospects in the UFC. And he has barely broken a sweat doing it.
Chimaev took Rhys McKee to the mat early in their fight on Saturday night and finished it with ground and pound at 3 minutes, 9 seconds into the first round. Chimaev, a welterweight who moved to 8-0, won for the second time in 11 days on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, setting a UFC record for having the fastest turnaround in between victories. He defeated John Phillips on July 15 by submission in a middleweight fight that lasted 72 seconds.
Chimaev certainly has the look of a potential title contender, and he has earned the attention of some of the UFC's top fighters. Several took to social media to heap praise on the rising Chimaev.
Wow, who in the world is khamzat Chimaev? This dude right here just smashing dudes. Two of em in a week. Wow
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) July 26, 2020
This fella is no joke!! Making it look easy😬 #fightisland3
— Alex Volkanovski (@alexvolkanovski) July 26, 2020
This guys is for real Chimaev is different #UFCFightIsland3
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) July 26, 2020
Yeah, @KChimaev is a problem
— michael (@bisping) July 26, 2020
Khamzat is a animal!! Excited to see his journey!! @ufc
— Cody Garbrandt (@Cody_Nolove) July 26, 2020
Chimaev is such a beast. My goodness. Hell yeah! 👏🏽 #UFCFightIsland3
— Tatiana Suarez (@tatianaufc) July 26, 2020
Khamzat is a problem @KChimaev
— Dan "50k" Ige (@Dynamitedan808) July 26, 2020
Wow. That's impressive. @KChimaev 👏👏👏 #UFCFightIsland3
— Jan Blachowicz (@JanBlachowicz) July 26, 2020
Some athletes outside of the UFC also took notice of Chimaev, including WWE superstar Big E.
I'd like another Chimaev fight & promo next week. Please & thank you. #UFCFightIsland3 pic.twitter.com/JN5K7W5y58
— Florida Man (@WWEBigE) July 26, 2020
I'm a retired lightweight and Chimaev scares the bejesus out of me! 😳
— Yves (@thugjitsumaster) July 26, 2020
