Khamzat Chimaev thinks he’d have an easy time with newly crowned middleweight champion Alex Pereira.
Pereira (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) rallied to knock out Israel Adesanya in Round 5 this past Saturday at UFC 281, claiming the 185-pound title in Madison Square Garden.
The fight played out primarily on the feet, but the former kickboxers also hit the mat on multiple occasions. Adesanya was able to get some solid top control on the ground in Round 3, which had elite grappler Chimaev salivating at the stylistic matchup.
With Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) missing the welterweight mark by a whopping 7.5 pounds in his past outing at UFC 279, middleweight seems to be his next move. He’s eyeing the champion for a title bout at UFC 283 on Jan. 21 in Rio.
Scroll below to check out Chimaev’s reaction to Pereira dethroning Adesanya.
Chimaev says Pereira got fast tracked, so why not him?
Chimaev wants the middleweight title
This is my belt 😡😡😡
Let me fight @ufc— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) November 13, 2022
Chimaev not impressed with Adesanya and Pereira's wrestling
🤼♂️🤦🏻♂️
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) November 13, 2022
Chimaev envisions a quick finish over Pereira
Let me fight with this guy, 1 road finish him ⚔️✊🏼
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) November 13, 2022
easy money 💸💸💸🤪🤪🤪
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) November 13, 2022
Chimaev willing to challenge Pereira in enemy territory
Ready to fight in Brazil @AlexPereiraUFC let’s go champ 🤪🤝
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) November 13, 2022
Pereira responds
New champ Alex Pereira "is ready to fight anybody," and that includes Khamzat Chimaev.#UFC281 | Full video: https://t.co/LHUzawrJe8 pic.twitter.com/oinX3QagCH
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) November 13, 2022
