"Hype train" - Alex Pereira thinks Khamzat Chimaev won't accept a fight against him despite past callouts

Alex Pereira has doubled down on his opinion of Khamzat Chimaev being an attention seeker. 'Poatan' was recently asked to weigh in on the surging Chechen-born Swede prospect who has called him out in the past.

According to Pereira, Chimaev's callout to him was merely an attempt to gain some clout. The UFC middleweight contender believes Chimaev wouldn't agree to fight him, even if Dana White offered 'Borz' a title shot against Adesanya, regardless of the result of his hypothetical matchup against 'Poatan'.

The Brazilian said in an interview with Helen Yee:

"Well we think he just jump on that hype train to get a moment, you know. He don't wanna fight with [me]. I think even if Dana White goes to him and says, 'You can fight Pereira now and regardless of the result, you can still fight for the belt next', we don't think he would."

Watch Alex Pereira's comments on Khamzat Chimaev at the 6:30 mark of the video below:

Pereira knocked out Sean Strickland in the first round of their UFC 276 clash, earning a title shot against Israel Adesanya with just three UFC wins under his belt.

'Poatan' was targeted by the surging Chimaev, who has long been teasing a move up to middleweight. Interestingly, 'Borz's' initial callout was also dismissed by Pereira as a clout-chasing tactic.

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Alex Pereira suggest opponent for Khamzat Chimaev at middleweight

Asked who should ideally welcome Khamzat Chimaev back to the 185 lbs. division, Alex Pereira named Paulo Costa. However, 'Poatan' isn't sure if Chimaev would be interested in that matchup as well.

The 35-year-old further told Helen Yee (7:48 mark):

"Well honestly, 'Borrachinha'. 'Borrachinha' called him out fair and square. And he ran. So we actually don't know if he is really interested in those fights."

Khamzat Chimaev had a heated run-in with Paulo Costa at the UFC PI, leading up to UFC 279. As per Costa, he was training with former Strikeforce champ Jake Shields when he was interrupted by 'Borz'.

While 'Borrazchinha' only had his girlfriend Tamara and Shields by his side, Chimaev's entourage consisted of approximately a dozen guys.

Costa claimed that the Chechen-born Swede had no real intention of engaging with him and was merely putting up a show for the camera. The Brazilian's version was corroborated by Shields, leading to backlash from fans against Chimaev.