Alex Pereira, a celebrated champion, differs in his view when regarding Khamzat Chimaev and Ricardo Arona. This adaptive fighter, nicknamed “Poatan”, made a significant impact on the Ultimate Fighting Championship in November, proving himself to be a formidable contender. Pereira’s track record showcases his ability in both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, clinching titles in these areas and becoming the first to do so in UFC history. His journey includes competing against the former 185-pound titlist Israel Adesanya twice, experiencing both victory and defeat in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Pereira then shifted in weight category to battle former leader Jan Blachowicz in July.
Pereira’s achievements include a triumphant contest with Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295, during the second round of which he claimed the 205-pound gold. This win propelled him into the limelight as potential challengers began to emerge, seeking to contend for Pereira’s first title defense. One such contender was the Chechen fighter Khamzat Chimaev, who had previously attained middleweight success through his scorecard-topping performance against former welterweight kingpin, Kamaru Usman. Chimaev was proactive, reaching out to UFC head Dana White and expressing his intention to “finish” Pereira via a social media post on Monday.
Pereira’s response came during an interview with journalist Laerte Viana. Reflecting on his past middleweight victory over Adesanya, Pereira expressed his thoughts on Chimaev’s seemingly competitive nature. He suggested that the Chechen fighter was only interested in shortcuts to the title, rather than specifically combatting against him. Pereira elaborated on this further, stating, “If his goal was really face me, the opportunity was given, but when he didn’t accept, I could understand that his goal was get a shortcut to the title.” In light of recent challenges his light heavyweight title from Chimaev, Pereira pointedly added, “It’s pretty clear that this guy loves surfing other people’s waves.”