Khamzat Chimaev recently returned to action at UFC 294 with a win in a middleweight bout against Kamaru Usman. Weeks later, he decided to call out light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira for a fight. Despite his callout, we have a few reasons to believe that it may not be wise for Chimaev to fight ‘Poatan’ immediately after returning to the 185lbs division.

Alex Pereira etched his name in the history books after defeating Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295. He became the ninth fighter in the promotion’s history to become a two-division champion. Thereafter, he received a callout from Khamzat Chimaev, who requested Dana White for a fight against the Brazilian ace. Let us take a look at the reason why that could prove to be a wrong decision for the Emirati fighter.

Khamzat Chimaev could put his MW title chances and the undefeated streak in jeopardy

‘Borz’ has proved himself to be an elite fighter in the last couple of years. He has amassed a record of 13 wins without any losses in his MMA career so far. Khamzat Chimaev is also on an undefeated streak in the UFC with seven wins in a row. However, he could put his squeaky-clean record at stake if he decides to fight Alex Pereira in the near future.

Furthermore, Chimaev recently jumped back to the middleweight division. This happened due to him having a hard time making weight as a 170-pounder, which diminished his chances of winning a title in that division. As such, jumping ship to yet another division could prove to be a costly mistake and he might never get the opportunity to earn a title shot in the middleweight division going forward. This could make him end up becoming a journeyman in the UFC. Now, let us look at the second reason why Chimaev should consider his decision to fight Alex Pereira.

Alex Pereira has conquered every division he’s fought in

‘Poatan’ arrived in the UFC with a bang back in 2021. He stormed his way into the title picture and defeated his longtime rival, Israel Adesanya, to become the middleweight champion in only his fourth fight in Dana White’s promotion. In addition to that, when Alex Pereira moved to the light heavyweight division, people were doubtful about his chances of beating Jan Blachowicz, who had already defeated Adesanya before. However, he proved his critics wrong and defeated the former light heavyweight champion, followed by a knockout win over Jiri Prochazka to become a two-division champion.

When it comes to Khamzat Chimaev, he has yet to fully establish himself in any weight class. He could be undefeated and have had some of the most dominating performances in the UFC. But he has fought only a couple of notable names. Moreover, Chimaev had one of his toughest UFC fights against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273, where the fight went to the distance and he could only get a split decision win. The same thing happened during his fight against Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 where he won by a majority decision.

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It was ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’s first middleweight fight, but he gave ‘Borz’ a run for his money as Chimaev won the fight by majority decision. This is one of the concerning factors to consider should he decide to fight Alex Pereira. Now, let us take a look at what UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping had to say in relation to Chimaev fighting Pereira.

Michael Bisping claims Khamzat Chimaev should pick a weight class

Khamzat Chimaev has undoubtedly proved himself to be one of the biggest stars in the UFC. This has certainly given him the confidence to challenge Alex Pereira. Michael Bisping recently weighed in on this callout from the Emirati fighter. He believes that it is a great fight for Chimaev when it comes to the fighting style. Pereira is primarily known as a kickboxer with little to no grappling and Khamzat Chimaev is known for his grappling prowess and the ability to easily take his opponents down. Bisping said, “Stylistically, that’s a good match for Khamzat Chimaev… because he’s [Pereira] not a wrestler. He’s a kickboxer and Khamzat Chimaev has been able to take everybody down.”

As we’ve mentioned earlier, Khamzat Chimaev has had tough outings fighting elite fighters like Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman. With this in mind, Michael Bisping mentioned that whenever ‘Borz’ fights an established opponent, he’s always found himself in a bit of trouble. “Anytime he stepped up in competition, any time he went against a true elite, he struggled,” said ‘The Count’.

Moreover, Chimaev moving from one weight class to another is also a cause for concern, according to Bisping. He wants to see ‘Borz’ fight ranked fighters and climb up the ladder to get to the title scene. “So he gets through Usman and now he wants to fight Pereira. I mean, just pick a weight class, bro… [do the] hard part, scratching and clawing your way up the ladder, getting through all the ranked opponents to becoming the number one contender,” Bisping added.

Although Khamzat Chimaev has called out Alex Pereira, it is unlikely that he will get to fight ‘Poatan’ anytime soon. Also, he has not fought as frequently as most of the fighters on the roster have, which makes it all the more difficult for ‘Borz’ to get a title shot on demand. We will have to wait and see what lies ahead for the undefeated star in the days and months to come.

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