If Khamzat Chimaev had the option, his next opponent would be Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title.
The new UFC middleweight champion won the title with a lopsided decision win over Doricas du Plessis at UFC 319 in August. Pereira just regained the 205-pound belt with an 80-second TKO victory over Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 320 earlier this month.
When asked what he would want next if he had a leader, Chimaev said it would be Pereira, and his recent victory has doubled down on social media calls for him.
“If you ask me, of course I would like to fight for a second belt,” Chimaev said on the Badaev Podcast (h/t Red Corner MMA). “It’s no secret, the guy who currently holds the belt at 205 pounds is a very good opponent for me, except when I have to stand recklessly with him.
“They say he has great strength, but I have never lost in that field,” Chimaev said. “He also used to fight at 185, but then he moved up to 205. So I want to fight at light heavyweight.”
With Chimaev holding the title at 185 pounds, there are plenty of contenders waiting in the division, allowing for new and fresh matchups. In the main event of UFC Paris in September, Nasrin Imavov handed Caio Boralho his first loss in the UFC with a unanimous decision victory.
Reinier de Ridder was scheduled to headline this Saturday’s UFC Vancouver card against rising contender Anthony Hernandez, but Hernandez went down with an injury. De Ridder will now face Brendan Allen in the new main event, but if the former ONE Champion returns to victory in the Octagon, he will make a case for fighting Chimaev next.
‘Boltz’ wants to face Pereira next, but if the UFC chooses Pereira to defend his newly won title next, Chimaev will say yes – if the price is right, of course.
“But I don’t care if they give me Nasouddin, De Ridder or Hernandez,” Chimaev explained. “Pay me good money. … I’ve always been like that. If you think you’re the best, don’t worry about who you have to fight.”