When Khamzat Chimaev made his middleweight return at UFC 294, his performance didn’t excite fans as he scored a majority decision win over Kamaru Usman. However, his recent performance against former middleweight king Robert Whittaker put all those doubts about his capabilities to bed. That raised a question about Chimaev potentially moving to light heavyweight, which he believes depends on Dana White.
“I talked about three belts from long time ago. So, of course, I want to go up. But Dana White, what the UFC wants, I don’t know, man,” Khamzat Chimaev stated during the post-fight press conference.
He’s not trying to look further than he has to because ‘Borz’s goal is to become champion and if he could be the kingpin of the 185’ers, there’s a chance that he might turn his attention to Alex Pereira.
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“So if they give me first as a [fight] in my weight class, [then I] need to take the belt, then I’m gonna think about it as well,” Khamzat Chimaev added. The fight against Robert Whittaker was already dubbed as a title eliminator. So, maybe waiting for the middleweight title shot could be a wise decision for ‘Borz’.
However, Khamzat Chimaev has always wanted to jump to the light heavyweight division. Even days before his UFC 308 triumph, the Emirati star would reveal to a UFC legend that he is always “open” to fighting Alex Pereira.
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Khamzat Chimaev boldly claims that Alex Pereira is an easy fightKhamzat Chimaev doesn’t seem too afraid of the stone-faced knockout machine, Alex Pereira. The 30-year-old stated that he’s always ready to throw down against the dominant Brazilian because he can navigate ‘Poatan’s fighting style better than anyone else. Even though he’s aware of the unmatched power that Pereira possesses, Chimaev believes that his ground game is all he needs to shit down the light heavyweight champion.
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“Of course, I’ve been always open for that [fight against Pereira]. I know that stylistically, this match for me [is] much easier than other guys. But in striking, I’m honest, I know the guy can knock me out…The guy is [a] good striker, one of the best guys with hardest punches. But I’m one of the best grappler, best wrestler, he’s not that,” Khamzat Chimaev told Michael Bisping in a recent interview.
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Do you think Khamzat Chimaev has all the tools to beat the seemingly unbeatable Alex Pereira? Let us know in the comments down below.
Source : EssentiallySports