At this rate, UFC newcomer Khamzat Chimaev could find himself fighting for a title by next month. Chimaev made his debut on July 16, serving as a replacement for welterweight Duško Todorović against John Phillips.
Chimaev made quick work of Phillips, scoring a second-round submission and suffering little damage in the fight. In his post-fight interview, he said he was ready to turn around and fight again, willing to smash anyone. The UFC took Chimaev up on that offered a match against middleweight Rhys McKee for UFC Fight Island 3 (UFC Fight Night 174).
Proving his first fight wasn't just a fluke, Chimaev again made it look easy. It took him even less time to end this fight, scoring a KO/TKO at 3:09 in the first round.
Chimaev got to work quickly and took McKee down in just 14 seconds. Striking his grounded opponent, Chimaev eventually got into the mount where he could really unleash the ground-and-pound. He did so until referee Rich Mitchell stepped in and called it.
The win moved Chimaev's record to 8-0 as he set the modern-day UFC record for quickest turnaround between victories at just 10 days. Perhaps even more impressive was the fact that he did so across two weight class divisions.
Chimaev, while still fresh in the UFC, has drawn early comparisons to current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. He's certainly got a tremendous work ethic and, again, promised to "smash everybody" that comes in his way.