Khamzat Chimaev fires fresh shots at Alex Pereira ahead of UFC 287, says he'll 'make it real quick'
Alex Pereira is heading into his first fight as UFC middleweight champion. But despite his sights being firmly set on his opponent, he continues to be a target for the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev.
'Poatan' battled against the odds and defeated long-reigning titleholder Israel Adesanya to capture 185lb gold last time out. While he has been criticized in the past for his lack of grappling, the Brazilian had no problem translating his devastating power over to MMA from the years he spent competing in kickboxing.
In a post on social media, Khamzat Chimaev continued his verbal onslaught on the middleweight king, promising the South American that he'll 'make it real fast' if the two ever met in the cage.
"Don't be afraid boy, I promise I'll make it real fast, see you soon."
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Don't be afraid boy, I promise I'll make it real fast, see you soon 🦚😂🤝 https://t.co/DRwEalaoql
Chimaev believes he should be next in line for a shot at UFC gold and has called for fights against both Alex Pereira and Leon Edwards, the champions of both middleweight and welterweight.
'Borz' arguably burst onto the scene with the most hype in recent times after beating four opponents in a three-month span and cementing himself as a real problem for anybody between 185 and 170lbs. Finishes of John Phillips, Rhys McKee, Gerald Meerschaert, and Li Jingliang saw the European have a successful start to life in the UFC.
Chimaev proved he doesn't just have to be the hammer after enduring a lot of damage in his three-round war with Gilbert Burns. After beating Kevin Holland and extending his record in the UFC to 6-0, the 28-year-old has set his sights firmly on a championship fight next.
UFC middleweight: Will Khamzat Chimaev change division?
Despite fighting in two weight classes, Khamzat Chimaev dedicated himself to the welterweight division and was on track to earning a fight for UFC gold at 175lbs. That dream is still yet to come to fruition after he missed weight by a significant amount during his last outing.
Although it seemed that the Swede was set to remain in his current division, Dana White has announced that the prospect's next move will instead be up in weight, with a number of names being thrown around as potential opponents.
Paulo Costa and Robert Whittaker were rumored to be on the list of possible fights for Chimaev, though the freestyle wrestler intends to leapfrog the rest of the division and go straight into a title fight.