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Khamzat Chimaev calls out 'scared' Alex Pereira for UFC White House fight

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Jan 12, 2026 8:29 AM ET

UFC Middleweight Champion Khamzat Chimaev isn’t giving up on his pursuit of a matchup with fellow UFC titleholder Alex Pereira.

A perfect 15-0 in his professional MMA career, Chimaev finally stepped into the cage for his first UFC title shot last August at UFC 319 and took the promotion’s middleweight belt from Dricus du Plessis via lopsided unanimous decision.

It’s unclear exactly when the 31-year-old plans to defend his belt for the first time now that 2026 and the UFC’s new Paramount era is finally upon us, but it does look like Chimaev is still very serious about a champion vs. champion matchup with light heavyweight king Pereira.

Khamzat Chimev Calls Out Alex Pereira For UFC White House

With the UFC’s planned White House event currently a hot topic following a recent update from UFC CEO Dana White, Chimaev took to social media to call Pereira out for a fight next summer.

Let’s go White House
Don’t worry, I will finish you fast @AlexPereiraUFC ⚰️
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) January 12, 2026

“Let’s go White House. Don't worry, I will finish you fast [Alex Pereira]”

Currently in his third UFC title reign and second with the light heavyweight belt after he defeated Magomed Ankalaev in their immediate rematch at UFC 320, Pereira previously expressed interest in fighting at the UFC White House event in June.

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A more recent update from the Brazilian indicated that the event may be off the table for him, and “Poatan” already had his sights set on moving up in weight himself for a potential matchup with currently-retired UFC legend Jon Jones rather than a showdown with Chimaev.

"Borz" Suggests Pereira Is Avoiding Champion vs. Champion Fight

Shortly after his initial callout, Chimaev doubled-down with another post claiming that Pereira is scared to step into the Octagon with him.

All Brazilian fans tell this boy if you’re not scared tell him to fight
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) January 12, 2026

“All Brazilian fans tell this boy if you’re not scared tell him to fight”

If Chimaev’s statements from late last year are to be believed, “Borz” would like to defend his middleweight title once before moving up to pursue double-champ glory in the light heavyweight division. That timeline looks to be feasible given that the UFC White House card is planned for the summer, but fans also haven’t seen Chimaev compete more than once in calendar year since 2022.

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Nassourdine Imavov is the current #1 contender at middleweight following his second-round knockout of the division’s former two-time champion Israel Adesanya at UFC Paris, and both Sean Strickland and Anthony Hernandez will also look to make their respective cases for a title shot when they headline UFC Houston next month.

This article first appeared on MMA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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