UFC 320 marked the return of vintage Alex Pereira, as he demolished Magomed Ankalaev in just 80 seconds to reclaim the light heavyweight title. The Brazilian started fast, punishing Ankalaev’s legs with brutal low kicks before dropping him with a looping right hand. A barrage of hammer fists and 12-6 elbows sealed the deal, making Pereira a UFC champion for the third time in his career. Following the win, plenty of dream matchups are already being discussed for Pereira. Among them is reigning middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev, who congratulated Pereira and reignited his callout.
Khamzat Chimaev Is Ready to Challenge Alex Pereira at 265lbs Despite Being a Middleweight
Chimaev, who recently captured the 185-pound title at UFC 319 by dominating Dricus Du Plessis, took to X and wrote: “@AlexPereiraUFC Congrats, now we need to finish our business.”
But at the UFC 320 post-fight press conference, Pereira shut down the idea of facing Chimaev. Instead, he revealed his eyes are set on something bigger. “Thanks for congratulating me, but all I want is a super fight. I wanna fight at heavyweight, but all I can say is thank you.”
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Alex Respectfully Denies Fighting Khamzat🐺
After his win, Alex Pereira was asked about Khamzat Chimaev’s tweet: ‘Now we need to finish our unfinished business.’ Alex replied, ‘First, thanks for congratulating me, but I want to move up to heavyweight.’ He clearly isn’t showing… pic.twitter.com/wYUEgoX44E
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) October 5, 2025
After UFC 320, Pereira made a huge announcement while speaking to the broadcast team. The Brazilian revealed his intentions to debut at heavyweight against Jon Jones at the UFC White House event in June 2026.
While paying tribute to Arthur Jones during his post-fight Octagon interview, who recently passed away from heart complications, Pereira made it clear that he still wants to challenge the man many consider the MMA GOAT.
Meanwhile, Chimaev isn’t backing down. The reigning middleweight champion has long expressed his goal of becoming the UFC’s first-ever three-division titleholder. Building on that ambition, he doubled down on his challenge to Pereira and confirmed he’s willing to fight him at heavyweight.
Chimaev once again took to X, writing: “I’m ready to fight you in the heavyweight, you won’t find a super fight than our fight. No Chama, this is SMASH EVERYBODY!”
I’m ready to fight you in the heavyweight, you won’t find a super fight than our fight no chama this is SMASH EVERYBODY 👊🏼
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) October 5, 2025
The tension between the two dates back to UFC 276, when Chimaev called out Pereira after his knockout win over Sean Strickland. Pereira fired back, labeling him a coward. Since then, the rivalry has simmered, with Pereira even claiming he offered Chimaev a fight at light heavyweight, something ‘Borz’ dismissed as fake news.
A clash between Pereira and Chimaev would be nothing short of a blockbuster, pairing Pereira’s elite striking against Chimaev’s relentless wrestling. Still, the timing is questionable. Chimaev still has unfinished business at middleweight, with possible matchups against Nassourdine Imavov or the winner of UFC Vancouver between Brendan Allen and Reinier de Ridder.
For now, Pereira appears focused on making history. His sights are set on heavyweight, chasing the chance to also become the UFC’s first-ever three-division champion.
