Khamzat Chimaev already has his next target firmly in his sights after submitting Li Jingliang at UFC 267 on Saturday.
Chimaev, 27, had been drawn against Leon Edwards earlier this year, but with Edwards currently booked to face Jorge Masvidal after Chimaev was forced to withdraw from their scheduled March 13 bout, it seems as though the top-ranked 170-pound contender is looking elsewhere to keep himself busy.
Speaking after the fight, Chimaev issued the following callout to Nate Diaz, and this comes after Edwards defeated Diaz by unanimous decision earlier this summer.
“Hey, Diaz, let’s go, brother,” Chimaev said afterward, via MMA Fighting.
“Let’s go. You gonna get some smoke, bro. Let’s see who is the real gangster.”
Chimaev submitted Jingliang with a rear-naked choke at the 3:16 mark in a dominant showing.
The 27-year-old showed no signs of any lingering side-effects after his well-documented struggles with coronavirus.
Chimaev, according to MMA Fighting, said he told Dana White 'the king' is back after he was seen talking to the UFC president during the fight.
"I am the king, I said to him bro," he said.
"He was watching in the front, that's why I picked him up and took such a long time. I could've taken him down earlier but I was waiting.
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"He looked up at me, I said to him, 'I am the king brother', and I took him down and started punching him.
"Nobody can stop me brother. When do you see somebody stop me, stop my takedowns brother, it's not possible brother."
After a lengthy period of inactivity, Chimaev wants to be back out again as soon as possible, as he looks to make up for lost time.
"I just want to fight bro," he added.
"Fight, fight, fight – I love this s---, bro.
“I'm here to fight, make money, and it makes me happy to do this for you guys.”
Chimaev, though, doesn't want to stop there, either.
"Of course, I told you guys, sometimes I have people who laugh when I say Brock Lesnar and these guys," he continued.
"But for me, it doesn't matter which weight class, bro.
"I just give my word to my coach because I want to listen to these guys, this is my family, and he taught me from day one. I have to listen to them, give respect.
"We go for 170, take this belt, then go up and don't stop, take this belt, become like Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, Muhammad Ali.
"I always watch these guys, they were the best fighters in this world, the best businessmen in this world, the fighting world."
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