Khamzat Chimaev may be on a short break, but he’s far from staying quiet. Back in August, ‘Borz’ made a massive statement in the division by completely dominating Dricus du Plessis in a one-sided five-round war. Now, the UFC middleweight champion has shifted his attention toward the light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, for some reason. Following Pereira’s latest dominant win over Magomed Ankalaev, Chimaev was quick to acknowledge him, saying, “Congrats.” And he didn’t stop there. Moments later, he issued a challenge that hinted at a light heavyweight showdown, writing, “Now we need to finish our business.”

The message came right after Pereira expressed interest in fighting Jon Jones, and with Khamzat Chimaev inserting himself into the conversation, tensions flared once more. As a result, both ‘Poatan’ and ‘Borz’ have reignited their rivalry, trading shots across social media. With UFC 322 approaching, much of the spotlight has now shifted away from the Brazilian. It might be why Pereira and his team chose to respond to the Chechen champion. Recently, Pereira shared a light-hearted skit on social media featuring his longtime coach, Glover Teixeira, practicing punches on a heavy bag. While punching away, someone behind the camera jokingly asked Teixeira, “Is he training for Chimaev?”

Alex Pereira and Khamzat Chimaev reignite their feud on social media

Teixeira immediately responded, “Chimaev gotta fight Poatan… First of all, he needs to get there. We need Jon Jones. We want Jon Jones, a bigger name. But Chimaev fights that guy there. If he fights that guy, I’ll bet my house on it.” Not to be outdone, Pereira, sitting at a distance, responded with his own challenge. The Brazilian knockout artist offered to test himself against Chimaev in grappling, calling him out in his own domain.

“That guy says he wants to fight with me, he’s gotta get out there, understand?” Alex Pereira said. “He’s far, but I could challenge him in his area if he wants. Let me look at you directly, let’s fight in your area. Let’s fight in grappling. And another thing, we can fight in the UFC. UFC is doing BJJ, right? UFC BJJ. Let’s do that then, let’s make it happen.” The light heavyweight champion even added that if the bout happens, his fight purse would go entirely to charity.

“Another thing, I don’t even know how much I’ll make. It will be good money, though, you know who I am. The money is good, and that money will be donated 100 percent to charity,” Alex Pereira stated boldly. As expected, Khamzat Chimaev didn’t stay quiet for long. He fired off his response, confidently writing, “Let’s go, I can submit you both same night,” while also adding, “Lets go, easy money.”

Since his arrival in MMA, Khamzat Chimaev has been a “scary” force in the sport, a reality even Jon Jones has acknowledged. From the beginning of his career, he has remained undefeated, asserting dominance in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions by taking down elite fighters like Kamaru Usman and Robert Whittaker. If his momentum continues, ‘Borz’ could reach the same legendary status as Khabib Nurmagomedov. Yet, before retirement, he still has three championship belts left to claim.

Why does Khamzat Chimaev want to fight Alex Pereira?

Back in August, before becoming the middleweight champion, Khamzat Chimaev revealed his plans for the future. “I started working with a new coach, Coach Calavitta. I spoke to him about going back down to [welterweight]. He said he’s going to give me a couple of months [to prepare for welterweight] …And if I go up [to light heavyweight], there is [Magomed] Ankalaev and Alex Pereira. They’re fighting now and whoever wins, I can fight for that belt as well,” he said.

Chimaev’s long-term goal has always been to become a three-division champion and retire from the sport with a substantial fortune, a feat only possible after claiming three belts. Despite facing potential middleweight opponents like Nasruddin Imavov, his main focus remains on Alex Pereira.

When asked what fight he would pursue next if given the choice, Chimaev didn’t hesitate, naming Pereira and reinforcing his social media callout following Alex Pereira’s latest victory. “If you ask me, of course I would love to fight for the second belt,” Khamzat Chimaev said on the Badaev Podcast. “It’s no secret, the guy who’s got the belt at 205 pounds now is a very good matchup for me, except for [if] I should get reckless standing with him. They say he has a lot of power, but I’ve never been edged out in that area.

Now, Alex Pereira and Khamzat Chimaev are once again set to face off. Will UFC CEO Dana White schedule this as a grappling-heavy showdown between the two titans? Share your prediction below.