Alex Pereira vs Khamzat Chimaev rumor gets former UFC heavyweight contender excited: 'Take my money'
12/20/2024 11:19 AM
The global MMA community has been sent into a frenzy thanks to a rumor that Alex Pereira is in talks to fight Khamzat Chimaev for his next UFC light heavyweight title defense.
Whilst that rumor has not been confirmed by either team, Alex Pereira certainly hasn't helped matters by claiming that his next title fight "will not be [against] Ankalaev."
Rumor circulates that Alex Pereira is in talks to fight Khamzat Chimaev
Earlier this week, UFC fans woke up to a rather surprising rumor circulating on X; that Pereira's next title fight won't come against Magomed Ankalaev as many expected, but against Khamzat Chimaev.
As fans began to speculate on the matchup, Pereira himself would take to social media to tease that he's rejecting Magomed Ankalaev as his next opponent – which only served to fuel the rumor even further.
Reacting to the story on Instagram, former heavyweight contender Brendan Shaub would re-share the initial post with the caption: "No F***** way, anyone know if this is for real? Take. My. Money."
The rumor even reached the ears of former middleweight king Robert Whittaker, who claimed that his former opponent would indeed beat Pereira, if that fight actually came to fruition.
"I saw a rumor that Chimaev might go up and fight Pereira – imagine that… Chimaev [wins] easily – maybe not easily – but Chimaev [wins] though… Unless the heavyweight strength changes his dynamic, Chimaev would get the takedown. He's good at what he does and that plays into his strengths.
"But let's say hypothetically, Chimaev slows down and gasses a little bit, Pereira won't, and he can strike in his sleep… He'll kill Chimaev in the standup, it won't be like that Usman-Chimaev fight where Usman was out-boxing him, it'd be a slaughter."
Chimaev and Pereira have a long history of calling each other out
A fight between Chimaev and Pereira would take countless UFC fans by surprise, although the two superstars do have a long history of calling each other out.
In 2023, Chimaev called Pereira a 'scared boy' and before his last fight at UFC 308, reaffirmed that he's "always been open" about his desire to face Poatan.
"I know stylistically, this is match for me [is] much easier than for other guys," Chimaev told Michael Bisping prior to his clash with Whittaker.
"But in striking, I am honest, the guy could knock me out. I know he's a good striker, one of the best who has the hardest punches, [but] I am one of the best wrestlers and he is not."
UFC fans have mixed feelings about a potential Pereira vs Chimaev showdown
From even the briefest scroll through some of the comments, it's obvious that MMA fans have mixed feelings about the rumored light heavyweight title fight.
"That would be massive — and gotta say I do not see how Pereira can stand Khamzat takedowns," wrote one fan on X, with another adding "This would be CRAZY if this is real & actually something that happens!"
That being said, there are plenty of fans who argue that such a matchup makes zero sense from either a divisional or promotional standpoint.
"This makes absolutely no sense for anyone involved," stated one user, with another sharing how "That is worth ducking Ankalaev, gives me conflicting feelings."
