UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier has voiced support for middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev's interest in competing at light heavyweight. Cormier believes Chimaev's physique suits the 205-pound division after observing his sparring sessions. Meanwhile, discussions intensify around Chimaev's next title defense.
Khamzat Chimaev captured the UFC middleweight title by defeating Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 in 2025. The undefeated champion has expressed confidence in moving up to light heavyweight to challenge Alex Pereira, despite never competing at 205 pounds professionally. UFC CEO Dana White has indicated reluctance to allow the move until Chimaev defends his 185-pound belt.
In a recent YouTube video, Daniel Cormier, a former light heavyweight champion, endorsed the idea after reviewing footage of Chimaev sparring with Khalil Rountree and Luke Rockhold. "His back looked massive, looks like a 205-pound fighter already!" Cormier said. He noted Chimaev appeared as large as or larger than Rockhold, who weighs 220 pounds, and seemed to hold his own in striking exchanges. "I’ve got to be honest, I don’t know that this kid couldn’t fight at 205 pounds," Cormier added.
Cormier also analyzed a potential matchup with Pereira, the current light heavyweight champion. "When you look at Alex Pereira, he’s huge, massive, but he still doesn’t wrestle," he observed. "But we’ve seen what Khamzat has done to guys without wrestling backgrounds."
Chimaev's coach, Alan do Nascimento, welcomed a superfight with Pereira but advised the Brazilian to pursue a heavyweight title instead for legacy reasons. "If I were ‘Poatan’ or his coach... it wouldn’t make sense to fight Chimaev," do Nascimento told MMA Fighting, emphasizing Pereira's chance at a historic third-division title.
Separately, following Sean Strickland's knockout victory over Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston, Strickland's coach Eric Nicksick argued his fighter deserves the next middleweight title shot. "We got style points by getting the finish," Nicksick said, positioning Strickland ahead of Nassourdine Imavov, who was previously lined up but delayed by Chimaev's injury. Chimaev targets a June return for his first defense.