Kamaru Usman has his theory as to why Khamzat Chimaev is calling out Alex Pereira.
The former welterweight champion, who has face Chimaev in the past, discussed the UFC middleweight champion’s potential
thought process on his show Pound 4 Pound. Usman suggests that instead of defending his title for the first time, Chimaev continues to call out the current light heavyweight champion because Chimaev may be running into the same problem he ran into at welterweight — he might struggle on the scales.
“For Khamzat Chimaev to continue to call him out, I think Khamzat, potentially, has outgrown the weight class again,” Usman said. “I think he’s outgrown the weight class again to now he’s like, ‘You know what? Let me go capture that. Let me go to a new division where I can make the weight and I can capture that,’ because there’s all types of rumors coming out saying he’s 230 pounds, 225, whatever.
“Khamzat’s a big guy. Khamzat’s always been a big guy. The fact that Khamzat was making 170 is just as ridiculous as Anthony Johnson when he was making 170.”
Chimaev captured his first UFC title with a dominant decision win over Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 this past August. “Borz” has repeatedly said that he wants to compete for the most money possible, so targeting Pereira — one of the most popular fighters in the UFC — would make sense.
Usman doesn’t believe that’s what Chimaev is doing. In fact, he believes there’s multiple moves being made by Chimaev — who is playing the “Rumble” Johnson card of moving to a weight class he feels most comfortable with, and planting his flag — to not only help himself, but another fighter as well.
“I think Khamzat Chimaev might potentially be in that same ballpark, which is potentially why he’s asking for ‘Poatan,’” Usman explained. “If that’s the case, I understand it. Now it makes sense. If you’ve outgrown the weight class, it makes sense. ‘Why kill myself to get down there when I just can’t make that weight anymore? And if I go up there and I’m able to get that title, guess what? That opens the door for… Nassourdine Imavov to get that title, or potentially fight for that title.‘
“It might be chess pieces being played here. It might be chess playing.”
