Khamzat Chimaev thinks he’d have an easy time with newly crowned middleweight champion Alex Pereira.
Pereira (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) rallied to knock out Israel Adesanya in Round 5 this past Saturday at UFC 281, claiming the 185-pound title in Madison Square Garden.
The fight played out primarily on the feet, but the former kickboxers also hit the mat on multiple occasions. Adesanya was able to get some solid top control on the ground in Round 3, which had elite grappler Chimaev salivating at the stylistic matchup.
With Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) missing the welterweight mark by a whopping 7.5 pounds in his past outing at UFC 279, middleweight seems to be his next move. He’s eyeing the champion for a title bout at UFC 283 on Jan. 21 in Rio.
Scroll below to check out Chimaev’s reaction to Pereira dethroning Adesanya.
Khamzat Chimaev wants Alex Pereira at UFC 283 in Brazil, calls new champ ‘easy money’
