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Daniel Cormier thinks that the No.3-ranked UFC welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev would be a terrible matchup for the newly crowned middleweight champion Alex Pereira.
The Chechen-born Chimaev wasted no time in calling out Pereira after the Brazilian's win against Israel Adesanya at UFC 281. In a recent Instagram post, 'Borz' urged UFC president Dana White to let him fight 'Poatan'.
During a recent episode of the DC & RC Show, Cormier suggested that pitching Pereira with a seasoned grappler like Chimaev would not bode well for the Brazilian:
"If you schedule him and Khamzat right now... Khamzat would be a massive favorite to beat Alex Pereira. Just because of the style. The style just does not match up yet and Pereira, he’s so young in his career."
Earlier in the show, the former UFC double champion stated that the UFC should capitalize on the long history between Pereira and Adesanya and book an immediate rematch between the two:
"I don’t know if you benefit from putting these two dudes against other people because I truly do believe that there are some very difficult matchups for Alex Pereira that weren’t as difficult for Israel Adesanya and that, to me, was shown in the third round when Izzy was able to control him once he took him down. You stick him in there with a grappler or a wrestler, he might get drowned out.”
Watch Daniel Cormier explain why Khamzat Chimaev would be the favorite to beat Alex Pereira below:
Cormier's point may be valid, considering Pereira struggled on the ground against Adesanya during their fight. Taking that into account, a three-time national champion wrestler like Chimaev could potentially completely dominate the Brazilian kickboxer on the canvas.
In a recent tweet, 'Borz' showed that he was not at all impressed with 'Poatan's' grappling prowess by making fun of Pereira getting his jiu-jitsu brown belt.
Who is Khamzat Chimaev likely to fight next?
A match-up between Khamzat Chimaev and Colby Covington is reportedly in the works. Dana White has on more than one occasion shown interest in that fight.
Watch Dana White discuss the possibility of Khamazt Chimaev vs. Colby Covington below:
Chimaev also recently posted a fan-made poster featuring him and 'Chaos' on Instagram.
Additionally, in a recent interview with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, Chimaev confirmed that UFC's matchmaker and VP of Talent Relations, Sean Shelby, is also not averse to a fight between him and 'Chaos'.
Watch Khamzat Chimaev's interview with Brett Okamoto below:
During the interview, the Chechen-born Swedish shared that he is currently going through a full-fledged training routine, despite a fight not being officially booked for him.
