UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has issued a surprising challenge to Khamzat Chimaev, and it’s not inside the Octagon.
A brewing rivalry between Pereira and Chimaev has captured the attention of fight fans for months. Both men hold UFC gold, with Chimaev recently claiming the middleweight title after dominating Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319, and Pereira reclaiming the light heavyweight belt by knocking out Magomed Ankalaev.
Now, their paths might finally cross, but in an unexpected way. In a video posted to social media, Pereira and his coach, Glover Teixeira, playfully addressed Chimaev’s previous comments about wanting to move up to 205 pounds to face “Poatan.” Teixeira made it clear that while they have bigger targets in mind, they aren’t shying away from a challenge.
“First of all, he needs to get there,” Teixeira said. “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.”
When Pereira took over, the knockout artist made an unexpected offer, a grappling match.
“That guy says he wants to fight with me, he’s gotta get out there, understand?” Pereira said. “He’s far, but I could challenge him to fight 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.”
Pereira didn’t stop there. In a move that caught fans off guard, the Brazilian star announced that he would donate his entire fight purse to charity if the match happened.
“I don’t even know how much I’ll make, good money though, you know who I am, the money is good,” Pereira said. “That money will be donated 100 percent to charity. That work for you? Chama.”
Chimaev didn’t take long to respond. The undefeated champion fired back in the comments section, accepting the challenge in typical confident fashion.
“Let’s go. I can submit you both on the same night,” Chimaev wrote. “Let’s go, easy money, Alex.”
The exchange quickly went viral, with fans buzzing over the possibility of a Pereira vs. Chimaev grappling showdown. While Pereira’s focus remains on defending his light heavyweight title, his challenge adds a fresh twist to one of the UFC’s most exciting cross-division rivalries.
If the bout comes to life, it won’t just be about bragging rights, it’ll be for a cause, too. And with Pereira’s competitive spirit and Chimaev’s relentless confidence, fans can bet it’ll be anything but friendly once they hit the mats.
