Alex Pereira, following UFC 295, is now the only two-sport two-division champion in the history of combat sports. His two-division champion status in Glory Kickboxing earned him a place in the Glory Kickboxing Hall of Fame in 2023. Additionally, his lightweight title triumph over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295 has put him on the path to the UFC Hall of Fame.
Post victory at UFC 295, Pereira called out his eternal nemesis, Israel Adesanya. However, Dana White clarified that Pereira will be facing Jamahal Hill when the former champion returns back from an Achilles injury. Interestingly, an unexpected fighter called out Pereira recently inciting a hilarious response from “Poatan”.
Alex Pereira goes viral with Khamzat Chimaev troll
Alex Pereira is one of the most powerful strikers in MMA. His left hook is considered the most devastating punch in MMA irrespective of weight classes. The Brazilian in his previous 5 fights fought Jiri Prochazka, Jan Blachowicz, Israel Adesanya x2, and Sean Strickland. Strickland is the current UFC middleweight champion and the rest of them are former champions in their respective divisions.
When Chimaev is choosing his opponents. pic.twitter.com/IhQCKqkdhN
— Alex "Poatan" Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) November 23, 2023
Khamzat Chimaev recently called out Alex Pereira and even claimed to finish the light heavyweight champion. Chimaev is fresh off a victory over Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 in the middleweight division with the winner was promised a title fight against Strickland. With the UFC booking a fight between Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297, Chimaev found it imperative to call out Pereira.
Khamzat Chimaev calls out 205-pound champ Alex Pereira šŗ pic.twitter.com/px3PLV27SO
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) November 20, 2023
Funnily enough, Pereira, known for his emotionless face, provided an apt response. Pereira replied to Chimaev on X (formerly Twitter) by posting a short clip from the movie “Kung Fu Hustle” starring Stephen Chow. The scene depicted Chow’s character, Sing, cherry-picking opponents for a street fight.
It was aimed at Chimaev, whom Pereira believed picks easy fights for easy victories. There has been no official confirmation from either the UFC or the fighters regarding the future of either of the fighters. The UFC has already announced its plans for UFC 297, UFC 298, and UFC 299. Chimaev and Pereira have not been featured in any of the three aforementioned PPVs.
Possibility of Alex Pereira vs Khamzat Chimaev
Alex Pereira is the champion of the light heavyweight division whereas the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev is ranked 9th in the middleweight division. The chances of a fight happening in the UFC are extremely low mainly due to them having fights promised by Dana White in their respective divisions.
Dana White promised the winner of Kamaru Usman vs Khamzat Chimaev a crack at the middleweight title held by Sean Strickland. With Strickland defending his title against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297, Chimaev is presumed to fight the winner of Strickland vs Du Plessis. The date for the event would be from mid to late 2024 due to Chimaev fasting during Ramadan in early 2024.
Dana White opposed the idea of Alex Pereira defending the title against Israel Adesanya. The Last Stylebender is presently on a self-imposed hiatus after losing the middleweight title to Sean at UFC 293. White was of the opinion that Adesanya should have to fight a contender at the division before fighting for the title. White’s plan is for Pereira to fight Jamahal Hill.
Hil is the former champion of the division who had to vacate the light heavyweight title, after an Achilles injury. The injury forced an extended lay-off and that forced the UFC to pressurize Hill to vacate the title. Incidentally, Hill won the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 283 after Jiri Prochazka vacated the title due to a shoulder injury.
Who do you think will win a fight between Alex Pereira and Khamzat Chimaev? Leave your comment below!
