Khamzat Chimaev is excited to get back into the Octagon at UFC 267 but he doubts people will want to fight him after Saturday.

Chimaev is set to return on the stacked UFC 267 card in Abu Dhabi against 11th-ranked welterweight, Li Jingliang. It’s an intriguing matchup and if Chimaev wins, he would prove to many that the hype would be real. However, the Swede thinks with an impressive win, people will duck him again.

“I don’t think these guys want to fight with me after this fight. They’re gonna start to be scared again, complain he didn’t fight some of these good guys, blah blah blah, things like that. We will see what happens after this fight,” Chimaev said at media day.

In the fight against Li Jingliang, Khamzat Chimaev is hoping to prove to everyone he can hang in the top-10 of the division. If he does beat and finish Jingliang on Saturday it would be a statement win and would no doubt earn him a top-ranked opponent next. However, he says he doesn’t care to get rushed up the rankings as he will beat everyone eventually to prove just how good he is.

“I want to show who I am. I’m gonna beat all the guys in the top-10, 10 fighters, and I’m gonna become champion,” Chimaev said.

Khamzat Chimaev is 3-0 in the UFC and coming off a one-punch KO over Gerald Meerschaert. Before that, he had dominant wins over Rhys McKee and John Phillips in a 10-day stretch on Fight Island. He was booked to face Leon Edwards three different times but COVID-19 scratched those plans which forced him to retire for a brief moment, but he will return on Saturday.

Do you think Khamzat Chimaev will finish Li Jingliang at UFC 267? Sound off in the comment section, PENN Nation!