Belal Muhammad doesn’t see UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev struggling at any weight class.
Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) once competed in the same division as former UFC welterweight champ Muhammad (24-5 MMA, 15-5 UFC) but eventually made the move to middleweight where he dominated Dricus Du Plessis to become champion at UFC 319 in August.
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Chimaev already has his sights set on light heavyweight with plans of making just one middleweight title defense – preferably not against Nassourdine Imavov. Not only does Muhammad think Chimaev can handle light heavyweight, he sees the undefeated phenom succeeding at a weight class even higher.
“Khamzat saying he doesn’t want to fight Imavov,” Muhammad said on his YouTube channel. “It’s Chechnya-Dagestan, obviously there’s history behind that, and they don’t want anything serious to happen with that. I know he is calling out Pereira. I am excited for either one of those fights, whichever one that happens. Which one do I think is going to happen?
“If they make the (Alex) Pereira fight, which I don’t think Pereira would do that because he’s already talking about going up to (heavyweight), that’ll leave an opening at 205, where it could be Jiri (Prochazka) against Chimaev, which I think would be a fun one for sure. I think Chimaev’s wrestling is good enough to go up to heavyweight if he wanted to. We’ve seen how he picked up Jon Jones recently.”
UFC light heavyweight champion Pereira wants Jon Jones at the White House but recently revealed that his plans of competing at the White House are a no go. He did not specify the reason.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Belal Muhammad confident Khamzat Chimaev can wrestle heavyweights
