Israel Adesanya deserves immediate rematch against Alex Pereira, Khamzat Chimaev's claims not believable, says Michael Bisping
Michael Bisping is incredulous of Khamzat Chimaev's claims that he'll soon challenge UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira.
In a recent video uploaded to Bisping's YouTube channel, he mentioned that Israel Adesanya deserves an immediate title shot and a chance to regain the title:
"I think Israel Adesanya more than deserves a rematch. He's been a great champion... But then it just shows how great Khamzat is though. The guy is sensational and if you're running a fight promotion like the UFC, this is the kind of guy that you want on the roster."
The UFC Hall of Famer also brought up the success that Adesanya had against Pereira. He explained why Chimaev could very well defeat Pereira with his grappling even though he appears severely outmatched on the feet with 'Poatan':
"Of course he [Chimaev] wants to go up and fight him [Pereira]. I'm not saying he would definitely win because you could get caught and against Pereira it only takes one shot. But if he could get his hands on him and let's be honest, he could get his hands on him...he's got his hands on everyone. Look at what he did to Kevin Holland."
Bisping raises a valid point that 'Izzy' deserves a title shot when he's able to resume training. But from the promotion's point of view, they could be looking to capitalize on the Brazilian's popularity and have him headline UFC 283 in Brazil.
Pereira vs. 'Borz' would definitely bolster the card and showcase Brazil's top fighters. Deiveson Figueiredo is set to defend his flyweight title against Brandon Moreno, and Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua is scheduled to compete in his retirement fight at the event.
Check out the full video:
Will Khamzat Chimaev fight Colby Covington or Alex Pereira?
Khamzat Chimaev targets Alex Pereira title fight in Brazil, then Colby Covington mmafighting.com/2022/11/18/234… https://t.co/IjFCte1NtS
Khamzat Chimaev is waiting for the promotion to book his next fight.
It seemed like 'Borz' would be fighting Colby Covington after UFC President Dana White said that the promotion was working on it. But there haven't been many developments since then. If he fights Covington, it's a strong possibility that the winner could earn the next welterweight title shot.
Alex Pereira is another intriguing bout because Chimaev's wrestling could be a decisive factor. 'Borz' could exploit 'Poatan's poor wrestling credentials. But it's important to note that the middleweight champion cuts a significant amount of weight, so the champion would have a considerable size advantage over 'Borz' who is small for middleweight.