If Khamzat Chimaev has any plans to make a return to welterweight, which would go a long way in silencing his critics after this monumental scale fail, then perhaps “Borz” should put down the heavy metal and start working on his conditioning.
But if the undefeated Swedish sensation wants to make good on his promise to challenge for the middleweight strap, then it’s understandable why Chimaev would look to pack on a few extra pounds, especially when facing a “giant” like Alex Pereira.
“If Israel [Adesanya] takes him down and takes wrist control, punches — this guy [couldn’t] get up from there? I don’t know how he would come up from me,” Chimaev told ESPN. “Israel’s ground game is a white belt, the other guy gets his brown belt, and he was under Israel. I don’t understand. The guy has power, he’s one of the best guys in striking. But on the ground, he was s—t.”
Pereira captured the middleweight title by stopping Adesanya at UFC 281 in New York, but struggled on the ground when “The Last Stylebender” took him to the floor. Chimaev, a Swedish wrestling champion, believes he would torch the newly-belted “Poatan.”
Note the emojis:
UFC is expected to book Pereira vs. Adesanya 2 at some point in the near future but it’s unlikely to happen in time for “Poatan” to defend at UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As for Chimaev, matchmakers are looking to get him paired off with Colby Covington in March.
At welterweight.