A former UFC two-division champion believes Khamzat Chimaev‘s grappling would be too much for Alex Pereira.
UFC middleweight champion Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) called out light heavyweight champion Pereira (13-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) for a fight at the White House on June 14. However, Pereira appears interested in moving up a division himself and going after Jon Jones.
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If Chimaev were to get his wish, Henry Cejudo really likes his chances.
“He does need to defend his belt in order for him to go up,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “But I also feel like when he defends that belt, he probably needs to take on a No. 1 contender at light heavyweight, and then he could fight Chama (Pereira). I like it. Stylistically this is a great fight for Khamzat Chimaev because Khamzat Chimaev can grapple. You know this, Kamaru. I feel like his top control and the discipline he has, I think it’s a really, really good fight for a guy like Khamzat Chimaev.
“Yeah, I do favor Khamzat in that one, 100 percent. I was talking to (Jon) Jones to0, and Jones was like, ‘Yeah, dude, that dude’s got some freakish strength.’ Khamzat is a big boy. He’s (6-foot-4). He’s the same size as Alex Pereira. They’re the same height. Now you add the grappling, and you add that intensity in top control. Yeah, dude, I do favor Khamzat if the fight was to go down. He’s smart, man. You think he’s going to strike with Pereira? No, he knows where he has to go.”
Chimaev showed off his grappling with full effect when he dominated Dricus Du Plessis to capture the middleweight title at UFC 319. He took Du Plessis down 12 times and had more than 21 minutes of control time.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Henry Cejudo ‘100 percent’ favors Khamzat Chimaev over Alex Pereira
