Outside Source
During a recent Q&A session with fans, Chimaev was asked if he could beat Alex Pereira. Chimaev believes he can beat Pereira, along with the light heavyweight champion’s coach, Glover Texeira.
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“Of course, brother,” Chimaev said. “I could beat him with his coach, Teixeira. With Teixeira, together brother. I’ll beat them both sometime.”
Chimaev’s (15-0) path to UFC championship glory was delayed due to a career plagued by illness. “Borz” finally clinched the middleweight title with a dominant unanimous decision win over Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 this past August.
Meanwhile, Pereira (13-3) won and defended the lightweight heavyweight title four times within a year before losing it to Magomedov Ankalaev earlier this year. “Poatan” reclaimed his title in the rematch, knocking out Ankalaev in 80 seconds at UFC 320 last month.
Chimaev Hints at Eventual LHW Move
Chimaev immediately called for the next light heavyweight title shot against Pereira. While Chimaev originally used to fight at welterweight, the cut was too gruelling for the undefeated Chechen-born athlete. Chimaev has hinted at a move up to light heavyweight at some point, which could put him on a collision course with Pereira.
Meanwhile, Teixeira became the light heavyweight champion at 42 years of age by submitting Jan Blachowicz in 2021. Teixeira lost the title in his first defense against Jiri Prochazka and retired after failing to reclaim the belt against Jamahal Hill.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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