Khamzat Chimaev open to heavyweight fight with Alex Pereira

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Khamzat Chimaev hasn’t lost sight of a potential super-fight with Alex Pereira.

Before that can happen, the reigning middleweight champion has other business to take care of, starting with Sean Strickland at UFC 328 in Newark, New Jersey.

Chimaev has made it clear he’s interested in adding more titles beyond his first defence. And if he does move up again, it won’t just be for the light heavyweight strap.

Chimaev open to Pereira fight two divisions above current weight class at UFC 328

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Talk of Chimaev fighting Pereira is nothing new. The two have exchanged words for quite some time, with the unbeaten Chechen initially linked to a bout with the Brazilian during his stint as light heavyweight champion in late 2024.

That matchup never came together, and since then, ‘Poatan’ has moved up in weight. He’s set to face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title on June 14 at the UFC White House event.

If he doesn’t succeed in becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in three different divisions, Chimaev expects him to drop back down to 205 pounds. But that isn’t the only path Chimaev sees leading them into the same octagon.

“I just want big fights,” Chimaev said during UFC 328 media day on Wednesday. “Alex Pereira, if he’s gonna lose (against Gane), he’s gonna come back down.”

“He’s a big fight, too, big name.”

“If not, I’m gonna go to heavyweight. I need big names, big money,” he added.

The reigning middleweight champion has made it clear he wants titles across multiple weight classes. After missing weight cut his run at welterweight short, his focus has shifted upwards through the divisions.