“No one wants to watch this sh-t,” Khamzat Chimaev‘s rival Paulo Costa quipped on the former’s middleweight title fight against Dricus Du Plessis. Apparently, Chimaev’s ‘bear-hugging’ style of wrestling and position control failed to bring the sparks fans expected. On a similar note, Ben Askren‘s critique offers a fresh perspective from a technical standpoint.

Blitz KOs and explosive striking have fans glued to their screens. No wonder Alex Pereira commands the charisma that he has, while Magomed Ankalaev, who even dethroned ‘Poatan,’ keeps catching strays for his grappling-heavy fighting style. According to Askren, who also comes from a grappling base, Chimaev is no different.

Ben Askren reveals the gap in Khamzat Chimaev’s game

While it’s unfair to say that Chimaev vs DDP went wrong for the Dagestani wrestler, it surely wasn’t a spectacle for the audience. That said, when Ben Askren was asked about Chimaev’s middleweight dominance, he didn’t shy away from addressing the elephant in the room. “Yeah, he looked great against Du Plessis, although I was disappointed he didn’t take more chances.”

He continued, “He really played it safe, and he could take him down and stay on top of him, but he didn’t really try to hurt him too much. So that was kind of disappointing.” Indeed, as UFC 319 unfolded, Chimaev landed 12 takedowns; however, he barely went for any submission attempts, spending most of the time controlling DDP on the mats.

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But Ben Askren was not done yet with his critique of ‘Borz,’ as he then questioned the Alex Pereira saga brewing on the sidelines. As you may already know, right after Pereira reclaimed his crown against Magomed Ankalaev, Chimaev jumped in with a cold callout for a LHW title bout with Pereira.

However, Pereira had his sights set elsewhere, angling for a White House super fight against Jon Jones. That didn’t end this unlikely saga, however, with Chimaev challenging ‘Poatan’ to a grappling match instead, which the LHW champion hasn’t shied away from. As those rumors bubble, Askren questions whether Chimaev has what it takes to hold his own against someone as aggressive as Pereira.

“I think he’s talking about moving up again, which is weird because he fought at 170 not really that long ago. So it’s interesting he’s thinking about moving up again,” Askren added. When taken in context with how Chimaev couldn’t risk high-threat submissions against DDP in fear of losing the position, it reveals a fatal flaw in his game that could backfire against Pereira.

For elite strikers like Alex Pereira, position over damage doesn’t scare them. In fact, if the fight hits the Octagon, all ‘Poatan’ would need is a clean strike to knock Chimaev out cold, like Ankalaev’s fate in the rematch. Moreover, with his size advantage, Chimaev will likely have a harder time in extended grappling exchanges, where submissions are the only way to end fights quickly.

Despite the theatrics, a Pereira vs Chimaev bout doesn’t look way off from reality either, with both fighters weighing in.

Khamzat Chimaev agrees to Alex Pereira’s challenge

‘Borz’ had a clear plan of derailing Pereira and steering the spotlights right back towards him after ‘Poatan’s recent Ankalaev win. Alex Pereira wasn’t one to back away from challenges. But this time, he didn’t let Chimaev run the narrative. Instead, he offered a grappling match outside of the UFC, where he has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Chimaev only had two options: agree to the round, or reject and face the negative rap about his persona online. It’s not hard to guess which option he went with. In fact, he escalated the matter, adding yet another twist, as he responded to Glover Teixeira, “Let’s go, I can submit you both same night… Easy money.”

However, we cannot leave Jon Jones, who has been raving fans with an anticipated comeback at the White House event, out of the image. Alex Pereira’s eyes are dead set on him, despite Dana White’s disapproval.

Who do you think deserves a shot at the ‘Poatan’? Would Khamzat Chimaev get the push this year? Or will Jon Jones finally make his much-awaited return? Let us know.