Ex-UFC champ urges Khamzat Chimaev to change weight class, as he could fight Alex Pereira

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Khamzat Chimaev added another major milestone to his career on Saturday, joining a very select group of fighters with his UFC middleweight title win.

UFC 319 marked the promotion’s first trip back to Chicago in six years, headlined by a middleweight title fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.

The buildup had plenty of hype, and it was ‘Borz’ who delivered on the night, dominating DDP from start to finish to claim the 185lb title.

Not long after picking up the belt, he was already looking ahead to his first defence and is targeting UFC 321 in October for his return.

Sean O’Malley suggests that Khamzat Chimaev should step up to light-heavyweight

During his time in the UFC, Chimaev’s reputation has taken a few knocks, mainly due to ongoing health problems that kept him from fully committing to one division.

But heading into the UFC 319 main event, he came in at 183lbs – two pounds under the limit – which might indicate how well things went during his new training camp.

Even though he has just claimed the 185lb title and seems poised for a strong run in the division, Sean O’Malley has already suggested he should move up to 205lbs.

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“We just knew it was a matter of time before that dude was champ,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel.

“So what makes sense for Khamzat Chimaev? Does it make sense for him to fight at 185lbs again or is he just too dominant? Does he go up to 205lbs? (Magomed) Ankalaev is fighting Alex Pereira, even still it’s like, maybe Ankalaev (does well against) Khamzat, it could be interesting, maybe, purely on how big Ankalaev is.

“I don’t think there’s anything to break down against Sean Strickland, even Izzy (Adesanya) as much as I f—— love Izzy, (Nassourdine) Imavov, they’re all strikers dude. You have to match that skill of wrestling. He did that to one of the best grapplers in the division. DDP is no slouch on the ground.

“What a freak of nature. That is years of hard work.”

Could Chimaev make a move to light heavyweight?

Before capturing the middleweight title, ‘Borz’ was already talking about his ambitions to become the first fighter in UFC history to win belts in three different weight classes, having started his career at welterweight.

While that would stand as one of the sport’s most remarkable achievements, a return to 170lbs seems highly unlikely at this point in his career.

Still, there is every chance that he could step up to light heavyweight. And if Alex Pereira manages to reclaim the title at UFC 320, Chimaev’s grappling-heavy approach could pose serious problems for the Brazilian striker.