Claiming he would return to the welterweight limit in pursuit of a title fight should he eventually strike middleweight gold, Khamzat Chimaev has claimed he would likely think twice about a light heavyweight rise as long as Brazilian kingpin, Alex Pereira remains — admitting the latter could likely stop him with strikes.
Chimaev, the current number thirteen ranked middleweight challenger, is slated to co-headline UFC 308 this weekend in Abu Dhabi, taking on former undisputed champion, Robert Whittaker in the pair’s potential title eliminator, following a prior failed matchup last June.
![Sean Strickland slams Khamzat Chimaev in fiery speech about American values: 'You [sold] your soul to a terrorist dictator'](https://www.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/MixCollage-09-Oct-2024-05-56-PM-1590-1024x536.jpg)
And sidelined since he took home a close, majority decision win over former undisputed welterweight champion and prior pound-for-pound number one, Kamaru Usman last October in a short-notice matchup at UFC 294, Chimaev would improve to 13-0 as a professional.