Fighting Khamzat Chimaev at light heavyweight will be smart for Alex Pereira despite the fact that he'll lose, says Michael Bisping

Michael Bisping has suggested that fighting Khamzat Chimaev in a light heavyweight (205-pound) bout would benefit Alex Pereira.

Kickboxing veteran Pereira defeated Israel Adesanya to become the new UFC middleweight (185-pound) champion earlier this month at UFC 281.

Khamzat Chimaev, for his part, suggested that he was willing to fight Alex Pereira for the title at UFC 282 on December 10, 2022. The Chechen superstar subsequently indicated, however, that Pereira had declined the offer.

In an edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Alex Pereira fired back at 'Borz'.

'Poatan' claimed that the UFC was willing to book Khamzat Chimaev to fight him in Brazil at UFC 283 on January 21, 2023, albeit at light heavyweight rather than middleweight. Pereira alluded to the fact that he's coming off a grueling fight against Adesanya and that his body needs time to heal.

Pereira, who's a giant at middleweight, acknowledged that he'd struggle to cut down to 185lbs for a matchup in January. Ergo, Pereira is willing to fight Chimaev at light heavyweight.

Chimaev responded in the comments section of the aforementioned Instagram post and jibed at 'Poatan' by asserting – "fake belt, fake coach, fake fighter."

Taking to his official YouTube channel, Michael Bisping opined that if a striking specialist like Adesanya could exploit Pereira's lack of takedown defense, a middleweight wrestling savant like Chimaev would surely beat him.

'The Count' pointed out that if Pereira fights and potentially loses to an elite wrestler like Chimaev at light heavyweight, it'd still teach the Brazilian a thing or two without compromising his middleweight throne:

"It's actually not a bad idea for Pereira to do that. Why? Because he would lose. And in losing, he would learn a lot of valuable lessons. The fights you win, they're great. They build your star. They make you money. They, potentially, get you to learn bad habits because you get away with things."

Watch Bisping discuss the topic at 1:50 in the video below:

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Is a Khamzat Chimaev vs. Alex Pereira fight on the horizon?

The consensus is that the UFC will likely book middleweight champion Alex Pereira to face former champion Israel Adesanya in an immediate rematch early next year.

Needless to say, apart from Adesanya, any potential matchup for Pereira at light heavyweight or middleweight seems unlikely for now.

Besides, UFC president Dana White recently hinted that Khamzat Chimaev could fight Colby Covington next. The Chimaev-Covington winner would then likely face the Leon Edwards-Kamaru Usman trilogy matchup's winner for the UFC welterweight title in 2023.

All things considered, it appears as though a possible Pereira-Chimaev showdown probably won't materialize anytime soon.

Watch the video below: