Khamzat Chimaev wants to fight the UFC’s newly crowned middleweight champion, Alex Pereira. UFC president Dana White has said he would like Chimaev to face welterweight contender Colby Covington.
Why not both?
Chimaev (12-0) told ESPN this week that he has asked UFC for a middleweight title fight against Pereira at UFC 283 on Jan. 21 in Rio de Janeiro and assured the promotion he would then turn around two months later to face Covington in March.
“They want [me to fight] in March. I said to [UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby] and Dana, I’m ready for Pereira in Brazil as well,” Chimaev said. “Directly after that, March. If Colby wants to fight, I’ll take my [middleweight] title and go back to [welterweight].”
Chimaev, who was born in Chechnya and trains out of Sweden, is in a unique position. He is UFC’s No. 3-ranked welterweight but has competed at both 170 and 185 pounds. He most recently fought Kevin Holland at a catchweight of 180 pounds, after missing weight for a scheduled 170-pound fight against Nate Diaz in September.
He appeared to be in prime position to challenge either Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title or Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title, as both were running out of title contenders because of dominant runs. However, Usman lost his title to Leon Edwards in September and Adesanya fell to Pereira last weekend at UFC 281.
“This was my chance. I was thinking, ‘Israel has to win, he has to win,'” Chimaev said. “I was feeling like that. I have to fight that guy. Who was he going to fight after Alex? But he lost the fight, and I don’t know what the UFC is going to do. When he lost the fight, I was mad. Usman talk too much, lose the fight. This guy talk too much, lose the fight.”
Usman (20-2) is expected to get an immediate rematch against Edwards (20-3) in the first quarter of 2023 in the United Kingdom.
Chimaev said UFC has discussed booking him against Covington in March in Las Vegas, but nothing is official. Covington has not fought since March.
If UFC is willing to book Chimaev against its new middleweight king in his home country of Brazil, however, he likes his chances. Known as a dominant grappler, Chimaev doesn’t see much of a challenge in Pereira, who is a former kickboxing champion.
“If Israel takes him down and takes wrist control, punches — this guy [couldn’t] get up from there? I don’t know how he would come up from me,” Chimaev said. “Israel’s ground game is a white belt, the other guy gets his brown belt, and he was under Israel. I don’t understand. … The guy has power, he’s one of the best guys in striking. But on the ground, he was s—.”