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Brett Okamoto
UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev intends to defend his title one time, before moving up to chase a second belt in the light heavyweight division.
Chimaev (15-0) shared his plan with ESPN in an exclusive interview on Monday. The Chechen champion won the belt in dominant fashion against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 in August. He is currently targeting a title defense following the Ramadan holiday in March, after which he will set his sights on the 205-pound division.
“These [middleweight] fights don’t make me excited, but I need to do my job,” Chimaev told ESPN. “I need to make money. If there is a big name to make more money, then I will be excited. If you get $3 million for a fight, but then you have a good [opponent] and you make $6 million, of course you’ll be excited.”
Currently, the No. 1 contender at middleweight is most likely Nassourdine Imavov (17-4), who Chimaev said he would actually prefer not to fight since the two fighters have trained together and have a friendly relationship. Chimaev said he would accept that fight, however, if both Imavov and the UFC wanted it. The other most likely option would be the winner of a matchup between former champion Sean Strickland and Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez in February.
Chimaev said his real goal is to face light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira (13-3). In addition to holding the title, Pereira is one of the most popular figures in the sport. The Brazilian has been clear he wants to also move up in weight in 2026 in order to face former champion Jon Jones in a superfight. Chimaev spoke highly of that fight but still wants Pereira as well.
“That’s a good fight for me,” Chimaev said of facing Pereira. “Everyone knows that. The UFC knows that. The UFC doesn’t want to give me this guy. And this guy said, ‘Oh, I’ll come to you and [have a grappling match]. Grappling is not our job. UFC is our job. He said he could fight Du Plessis [when Du Plessis was the champion], he accepted that fight. But now he says, ‘Khamzat is not a good fight for me.'”