After his knockout of Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Vegas 11 on Saturday, the MMA world is once again talking about Khamzat Chimaev. But one Brazilian fighter Markus Perez isn’t impressed, and called out the Chechen-born fighter.
Chimaev’s win over Meerschaert was literally punch-perfect, as he starched the American submission ace with the very first punch of the fight to score a stunning 17-second knockout in their middleweight bout.
It means Chimaev now holds the record for the fastest athlete to register three wins in the UFC, following his two wins over John Phillips and Rhys McKee in his previous two outings earlier this summer.
Chimaev is showing no signs of slowing down, but Brazilian middleweight Perez says he’s just the man to pump the brakes on “The Wolf’s” surging momentum.
Perez was set to face fellow countryman Rodolfo Vieira on October 10 on “UFC Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, but after learning of his opponent’s withdrawal, Perez sent a video to MMA Junkie calling out Chimaev and daring the Sweden-based fighter to step in and face him.
“I don’t know your name, bro, but you talk a lot of sh*t for a guy who just got here,” he said.
“You know I wanted to fight you and you declined? That’s a bunch of bologna, bro.”
Perez, whose nickname “Maluko” translates to “psycho” attracted plenty of attention ahead of his most recent UFC fight by arriving at the ceremonial weigh-ins made up like “The Joker.”
He’s currently 12-3 as a professional, and 2-3 inside the UFC octagon. But he clearly fancies his chances against Chimaev, who has looked unstoppable to date, with many suggesting he has the skills to make it all the way to the top of the sport.
There’s a strong possibility we’ll see Chimaev in action on “Fight Island” after UFC president Dana White hinted that he could fight again before the UFC books him against Brazilian grappling ace Demian Maia.
Could that booking see him step in on short notice to face Perez? Watch this space.
