The Daniel Cormier Show - DC on WILD Khamzat Chimaev & Sean Strickland BEEF + Chimaev vs. Pereira at 205

Welcome back; call it a real power move when guys jump divisions and fill out fast, and today I’m digging into Khamzat Chimaev looking at light heavyweight while Alex Pereira’s walking around near 245.

Could Khamzat really do 205 after 170? I doubted it, but watching him work with Khalil Rountree and a big Luke Rockhold—and feeling how much stronger he was when he picked me up in Chicago—he already looks like a true light heavyweight.

How does that stack up with the champ? Pereira is massive and terrifying on the feet, but he isn’t a wrestler, and Khamzat has a history of running through elite strikers once he gets to their hips.

What’s next at middleweight? Nasourdine Imavov earned his shot, so I expect Khamzat to prep for him, with real questions about making 185 clean, how the cut affects him, and whether Imavov can handle this new size.

And the Sean Strickland thing? Their gym stories clash—Sean says he made him quit and calls him a bully—and while that trash talk plus the Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez win keeps Sean in the mix, one victory may not jump the line on guys who’ve earned it.

Bottom line on 205? I think Khamzat can hang there, but he should clear his middleweight business first because the move up will be waiting and he’d be a real problem for light heavyweights.

Big picture, we might see true three-division threats, with Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira, and Khamzat all having paths to chase multiple belts depending on matchups.

Tell me who you want Khamzat to face and how you think he’d do at 205; I’m off to the state tournament, thanks for riding with me, and peace.