Alex Pereira critical of Khamzat Chimaev: “He’s running from his own weight class”
Let’s just say that UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira is not the biggest fan of Khamzat Chimaev.
While Chimaev is ranked at no. 3 in the UFC’s welterweight division, he also has visions of taking over the middleweight and light-heavyweight divisions as well, and aims to become the UFC’s first ever three-division world champion by time his career is said and done.
Pereira recently went on record stating the following in regards to Chimaev, translated by InsideFighting:
“Well, he (Chimaev) mentioned a title defense. But it was right after my last fight, so I think it was kind of impossible. I called him out for a light-heavyweight title fight (at UFC 282), but I wasn’t in a position to do either. I called him out anyway just to see if he was up to it. I knew he didn’t want the fight.
“A little while ago, he talked about fighting at middleweight and also at light-heavyweight. So he’s in the lower weight class (welterweight). But in his weight class, when he’s maybe already the next title challenger, it’s kind 0f like there are no plans for him to fight.
“He doesn’t want to, because if he loses, like everyone can, if he loses in his own weight class, it ends all the noise he’s making. So he’s running from his own weight class because he’s the next title challenger.”
Following Chimaev’s callout of Pereira, Pereira then responded when Jiri Prochazka withdrew from his first title defense against Glover Teixeira at UFC 282 and offered a vacant title fight between the two of them.
It’s not like the UFC would’ve made that fight anyway, given neither have ever competed at 205 lbs in their MMA careers, and neither of them are ranked in the division.
On the contrary, it is believed Alex Pereira will make the first defense of his newly claimed title against former champion Israel Adesanya in their immediate rematch, and fourth overall fight together.
What’s next for Khamzat Chimaev though? Colby Covington, Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa?
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