Khamzat Chimaev’s finish of Gerald Meerschaert at UFC on ESPN+ 36 caught the attention of many in the MMA community – including UFC middleweight Markus Perez.
Less than 48 hours after Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) flatlined Meerschaert with a 17-second knockout, Perez (12-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) sent a video to MMA Junkie in which he challenged Chimaev to an Oct. 10 matchup.
“I don’t know your name, but you talk a lot of (expletive) for a guy who just got here,” Perez said into the camera. “You (knew) I wanted to fight you and you declined? That’s a bunch of bologna, bro.”
Perez, a former LFA middleweight champion, is in need of an opponent after Rodolfo Vieira (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) withdrew from the matchup. Brazilian outlet Combate was the first to report the news Monday.
Perez, 30, has lost two of his most recent three outings. His two UFC victories have come against Anthony Hernandez and James Bochnovic. In 12 pro victories, Perez holds six finishes.
Chimaev, 26, is the UFC’s biggest breakout star of 2020. In his three UFC appearances, Chimaev has dominated his opponents en route to three first-round stoppages due to strikes.
UFC president Dana White had indicated Demian Maia was likely in line for Chimaev should he get through Meerschaert. However, at the UFC on ESPN+ 36 post-fight news conference, White indicated Chimaev might fight one more time before the UFC books the Maia fight.
Check out Perez’s callout of Chimaev in the video above.
With Vieira’s withdrawal, the UFC’s Oct. 10 lineup now includes:
- Marlon Moraes vs. Cory Sandhagen
- Edson Barboza vs. Sodiq Yusuff
- Markus Perez vs. TBA
- Seungwoo Choi vs. Youssef Zalal
- Ben Rothwell vs. Marcin Tybura
- Thomas Almeida vs. Alejandro Perez
- Tracey Cortez vs. Bea Malecki
- Chris Daukaus vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
- Abu Azaitar vs. Joaquim Buckley
- Ali Alqaisi vs. Tony Kelley
- Tom Aspinall vs. Sergey Spivak
- Giga Chikadze vs. Omar Morales
- Bruno Silva vs. Tagir Ulanbekov