MIAMI – UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira won’t consider Khamzat Chimaev as a potential next challenger.
Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), who plans on competing at middleweight next, expressed interest in fighting Pereira at UFC 283, just two months after “Poatan” dethroned Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 in November.
Pereira (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) rematches Adesanya (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 287 main event at Kaseya Center. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+. If he gets past Adesanya again, he’s not interested in having his second title defense against Chimaev.