Khamzat Chimaev has something to say about Alex Pereira potentially moving to heavyweight.
“Poatan” has already captured UFC gold at middleweight and light heavyweight and is currently in his second reign as 205-pound champion, having avenged a loss to Magomed Ankalaev in October to regain the title. All signs are pointing to him eventually jumping up one more division, possibly to set up a fight with heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall or a dream match with all-time great Jon Jones.
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In a recent Instagram post, Pereira cryptically wrote, “2+1=3 CHAMA,” further fueling speculation that he is aiming to become the UFC’s first three-division champion.
On Saturday, middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev dropped a reply in Pereira’s comments, writing simply, “-1.”
It’s no secret Chimaev has always had the intention of becoming a two-division champion, though he initially burst onto the scene competing at 170 and 185 pounds. Now, with middleweight title in tow, it appears Chimaev is looking to make a move up and take on Pereira before the Brazilian knockout artist has a chance to vacate the light heavyweight title.
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UFC CEO Dana White has announced a handful of title fights to kick off 2026, but Pereira and Chimaev remain unbooked, and with plans for the massively hyped UFC White House event in June still in flux, fans can expect the social media gamesmanship to continue.
