5 biggest winners from UFC 267: Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira

#4. Islam Makhachev – defeated Dan Hooker in a UFC lightweight bout

Islam Makhachev celebrated with Hasbulla Magomedov after his big win over Dan Hooker

Islam Makhachev came into UFC 267 with perhaps more pressure on his shoulders than any other fighter. Riding an eight-fight win streak, he’d garnered a reputation as "the new Khabib”, and had looked phenomenal in his most recent fights.

However, the Dagestani had also never fought an opponent on the level of Dan Hooker. There seemed to be every chance for ‘The Hangman’ to pull off an upset.

When it came down to it, though, Makhachev proved that he’s definitely for real and that the hype he’s garnered is well-deserved. He took Hooker down, dominated him from the top and then submitted him with a kimura in just over two minutes.

This was a scarily one-sided display. While the comparisons between the two aren’t always fair, it’s easy to see why many fans view Makhachev as the heir to Khabib’s throne.

So can he win the UFC lightweight title in 2022? Based on this, there’s no reason why not. He’ll have to get through either Charles Oliveira or Dustin Poirier to do so but, on this form, he’s capable of beating anyone. Which would be the better fight? Probably Makhachev vs. Oliveira, but both sound awesome.

Either way, Makhachev deserves a UFC title shot after this showing, and hopefully he’ll get one soon.

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#3. Khamzat Chimaev – defeated Li Jingliang in a UFC welterweight bout

Khamzat Chimaev looked phenomenal in his return bout against Li Jingliang

After suffering a bad case of COVID-19 that forced him to take over a year away from the UFC, it was understandable why some fans were questioning what Khamzat Chimaev would bring to his fight with Li Jingliang.

Any fears around his future turned out to be thoroughly fruitless though, as ‘Borz’ absolutely dominated Jingliang en route to a first round submission win.

Chimaev didn’t absorb a single strike in a fight that was jaw-droppingly one-sided. He grabbed Jingliang, slammed him down in front of Dana White, and proceeded to beat him up before choking him unconscious.

When you consider that ‘The Leech’ was a solid, top-fifteen ranked fighter with wins over Santiago Ponzinibbio and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, it’s now impossible to deny that Chimaev is for real.

Is he a contender for the UFC welterweight title? Absolutely, although giving him a shot at it after his struggles to make weight might be risky.

The UFC would probably be best to match him with a top-ten ranked fighter next – maybe Gilbert Burns or Vicente Luque – and if he wins then, it’d be hard to deny him a crack at the title.

Either way, it seems like Chimaev vs. Kamaru Usman may be one of the most talked about fights of 2022.