Amid current hyperlinks to an enormous gentle heavyweight transfer in pursuit of a title, Khamzat Chimaev has been backed by former-foe, Robert Whittaker to tackle UFC megastar, Alex Pereira subsequent — with the Auckland native intrigued to see how the pairing performs out.
Chimaev, the present quantity three ranked middleweight challenger, most just lately featured at UFC 308 again in October, touchdown a one-sided win over former champion, Whittaker — stopping the fan-favorite with a devastating opening spherical face crank submission win within the pair’s rescheduled co-headliner.
And as for Brazilian star, Alex Pereira, the previous two-weight champion has been out of motion himself because the starting of that month, handing over his personal brutal win over championship chaser, Khalil Rountree — stopping the challenger with an eventual fourth spherical knockout in the primary occasion of UFC 308.
Robert Whittaker weighs up Khamzat Chimaev’s probabilities in opposition to Alex Pereira
Lacking out on a middleweight title shot to former champion, Sean Strickland who fights the incumbent, Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312 in a fundamental occasion bout in February, Chimaev has since been linked with one other division transfer — as excessive as 205lbs in a cost in opposition to Alex Pereira, which ex-champion, Whittaker is to see.
“I saw a rumor that (Khamzat) Chimaev might go up and fight (Alex) Pereira – imagine that,” Robert Whittaker mentioned on the MMArcade podcast. Chimaev [wins] simply – perhaps not simply – however Chimaev [wins] although… Until the heavyweight energy adjustments his dynamic, Chimaev would get the takedown. He’s good at what he does and that performs 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.”
Additional gasoline was added to the hearth on a possible pairing between Pereira and Chimaev — after the Brazilian knockout artist axed a possible grudge combat with the surging, Magomed Ankalaev subsequent, claiming he could be combating a distinct opponent first.
