Li Jingliang Reveals Why He Lost To Khamzat Chimaev: “I Fought To His Pace Instead Of Getting Him To My Pace”
Li Jingliang has revealed what went wrong for him against Khamzat Chimaev.
UFC veteran Li Jingliang is set to take on Muslim Salikhov at UFC on ABC 3 on July 16 at UBS Arena in New York. Jingliang is coming off a hard loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 267 last October. Chimaev dominated the seasoned pro, rag dolled him, even picking him up and taking him to the corner of the octagon where UFC president Dana White was at to have a chat.
Chimaev continued smashing “The Leech” before handily finishing him in the first round with a rear-naked choke.
Li Jingliang reveals why he lost to Khamzat Chimaev
In an interview with James Lynch, Li Jingliang talked about his loss to the rising “Borz” and what he took away from the result.
“Yeah, I think I got victory and I think I learn more if I got a loss. The last fight, I was a little rushed into the fight. I wanted to knock him out. I could see (Khamzat’s) game time pretty well so I fought to his pace instead of getting him to my pace. My biggest takeaway is to stay and follow your own rhythm.”
With a defeat that hard, it’s important to note Jingliang was considered a step up for Chimaev, who got a high-ranked opponent off the back of the win. Chimaev would go on to edge out a close-fought battle against former title challenger Gilbert Burns in his next fight.
“Borz” is waiting to get booked
Khamzat Chimaev brought a lot of excitement with him to the UFC. Currently sitting at the third spot in the official rankings, Chimaev could get a shot at the gold sooner than later. Colby Covington, the top contender, has already fought the champion Kamaru Usman twice and a third shot looks unlikely anytime soon.
Leon Edwards, the other man above Chimaev, is scheduled to challenge Usman for the title at UFC 278 on Aug. 20. If Edwards manages to dethrone the commanding king, a rematch appears to be the most ideal path ahead.
However, if Usman defends the strap once more, he could be looking at Chimaev for his next fight, unless he moves up to 205 lbs.
