Khamzat Chimaev open to heavyweight fight with Alex Pereira

Talk of Chimaev fighting Pereira is nothing new. The two have exchanged words for quite some time, with the unbeaten Chechen initially linked to a bout with the Brazilian during his stint as light heavyweight champion in late 2024.

That matchup never came together, and since then, ‘Poatan’ has moved up in weight. He’s set to face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title on June 14 at the UFC White House event.

If he doesn’t succeed in becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in three different divisions, Chimaev expects him to drop back down to 205 pounds. But that isn’t the only path Chimaev sees leading them into the same octagon.

“I just want big fights,” Chimaev said during UFC 328 media day on Wednesday. “Alex Pereira, if he’s gonna lose (against Gane), he’s gonna come back down.”

“He’s a big fight, too, big name.”

“If not, I’m gonna go to heavyweight. I need big names, big money,” he added.

The reigning middleweight champion has made it clear he wants titles across multiple weight classes. After missing weight cut his run at welterweight short, his focus has shifted upwards through the divisions.

This weekend though is all about Sean Strickland. First things first: he needs to handle business against Strickland if he wants any chance of defending his title even once.