Can a potential fight between Alex Pereira and Khamzat Chimaev be on the horizon? Surely, that’s something Chimaev would want, considering he would have a chance to become two division champ. But is there any reward for Pereira in that matchup when there are more lucrative opportunities?

‘Poatan’ currently reigns as the UFC light heavyweight champion. But at 38 years of age, the Brazilian is looking to elevate his stature in the MMA world. And as it seems, he has a big opportunity to become the first three-division UFC champion. With that chance looming over his head, Pereira would surely want to capitalize before time runs out. Interestingly, that’s something for which Pereira would even duck Chimaev. At least, that’s what the latter’s head BJJ coach, Alan ‘Finfou’ Nascimento, feels.

Why Alex Pereira won’t fight Khamzat Chimaev?

“If I would be Pereira, I would never accept that fight because Khamzat would be the challenger,” said Alan ‘Finfou’ Nascimento during an interview with MMA Today. “Pereira would have to defend. But Pereira already have two belts, and he have the opportunity now to accomplish something that nobody ever done before in the history of the UFC.

Win the third belt in the third division. If I would be Pereira, the same as it’s great for Khamzat to go for try a second belt. For Pereira, it is amazing to try the third.”

While initially it might have been seen as a far-fetched dream for Khamzat Chimaev, he is very close to becoming a two-division UFC champion. To back that, his dominating performances inside the octagon have been hard evidence. Take his fights against former champions like Robert Whittaker and Dricus du Plessis, for example.

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While ‘Borz’ defeated one with an opening round submission, the other suffered a loss via unanimous decision, where Chimaev controlled the bout for over 21 minutes. Considering a full five-round fight is only 25 minutes, that performance is quite dominating.

Due to this reason, many believe Chimaev has outgrown the UFC middleweight division. To that extent, even the Chechen-native fighter believes the same. And for that, he seemingly called out the light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira.

While Chimaev has a lot to gain from that matchup, Pereira has nothing much. And it can be said that it would also be a risky matchup for ‘Poatan’. But for the Brazilian, lucrative opportunities lie in a move up to the heavyweight division, where he could win his third UFC title. And following the shakeup after Tom Aspinall‘s injury, many in the community even want Pereira to move up.

Chael Sonnen calls for ‘Poatan’ vs. Ciryl Gane interim heavyweight title fight

UFC has a historic event coming up at the White House lawn on June 14. And for that, the promotion would surely look to put forward some of their standout fighters, including Alex Pereira. But there aren’t many options left for Pereira at the light heavyweight division. That’s something UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen quipped about.

“I am very confident in telling you Alex Pereira is going to be on the White House card,” said Sonnen on his YouTube channel. “Question comes: Against whom?… There’s nobody else at 205 pounds that would make sense.

So I believe that Alex is going to come out and he’s going to be a heavyweight on the White House card. I also believe he’s going to take on Ciryl Gane. I also believe if you take a sitting world champion and you move him weight classes and he fights, it’s not just because. It’s for a belt, so this is where the idea of the interim title comes from.”

Sonnen’s assessment might support in the idea for an interim heavyweight title fight. Given that the champion Tom Aspinall’s return timeline following eye surgery is uncertain, ‘Poatan’ vs. Ciryl Gane does seem like an interesting matchup.

But then again, the ultimate lies in the hands of the UFC. On that note, as fans, do you want to see Pereira fight Gane for the interim heavyweight title? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!