Alex Pereira snubs Khamzat Chimaev matchup

Alex Pereira's first title defense will come against Israel Adesanya at UFC 28. The middleweight champion recently hinted that he is not interested in facing Khamzat Chimaev in his next bout.

Speaking at the UFC 287 media day, 'Poatan' stated:

"This week, I'm obviously focused on Israel, but talk about [Robert] Whittaker and Paulo Costa. I know they want to fight me. They were never disrespectful. They always kept their composure, but when you talk about Chimaev, he's the kind of guy that seems to be a little lost, talks too much."

Alex Pereira added:

"Right after my last fight, he said that he wanted to fight me at this weight class. He knows it was right after the fight, everybody's injured. I could not make that weight so I challenged him to fight at 205 pounds, [he] ran. To be honest, if it's Whittaker or Paulo Costa, if the organization wants to put us to fight, it's my job to fight as the UFC champion, but I don't even want to talk about Chimaev."

Check out Alex Pereira's comments on Khamzat Chimaev below:

Alex Pereira says he's "not even going to talk" about Khamzat Chimaev as the next title challenger 😬 #UFC287

"He's the kind of guy that seems to be a little lost, talks too much." https://t.co/x3nLy0sJCq

Khamzat Chimaev has not fought since missing weight at UFC 279 over six months ago. 'Borz' has called out several high-profile fighters in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions since his last appearance in the octagon.

Alex Pereira's first title defense: Israel Adesanya explains why he remains confident

Alex Pereira appears to have Israel Adesanya's number, defeating him twice in kickboxing and once in mixed martial arts. During an appearance on DC & RC, the former middleweight champion revealed that the losses have not affected his confidence ahead of UFC 287, stating:

"F**k all the bulls**t. He and I know, f**k the fans, the reporters, all that. He and I know exactly what I can do to him. I know what he can do to me. Each time I've fought him, I'm always winning until I'm not. If it was like say he just beat my ass from f**king bell to bell then f**k it... It's not been the case. I'm always beating him, I'm always dominating him until he finds that way to win."

Watch Israel Adesanya's full comments on his confidence below (starting at the 51:15 mark):

Adesanya noted that he welcomes the challenge and will rise to the occasion against his opponent. 'The Last Stylebender' will enter the octagon as the middleweight challenger for the first time in nearly four years.