“I do remember him being hurt... He was throwing heat the whole time. He was dangerous. He deserves a lot of credit for staying in that fight for 25 minutes. I really, really, really wanted to finish him. I cannot believe that f***er didn't go to sleep, but God, I hit him with some big shots... It's such a crazy sport”

– via the UFC 324 post—fight press conference, reflecting on the legendary durability of Paddy Pimblett after their interim title war.

“I love it. I love everything he’s been saying. He definitely sounds overconfident. He’s out here disrespecting legends like Dustin Poirier. I’m going to dog walk this English f**k on Saturday. Watch... You would also look like sh*t against Holloway. You won’t be fighting him”

– via UFC 324 pre fight press conference, delivering a furious response to Paddy Pimblett's critique of Dustin Poirier

“We’re in there to hurt each other. We’re not having a pillow fight... He won’t be physically the same after this fight. I will. I will be exactly the same. I’m going to put a beatdown on him like he’s never received”

– via UFC 324 media day interview, setting an ice cold tone for his clash with Justin Gaethje.

“You don’t have to be a doctor to know that if you have a brain, it can get shut off if I just shake it. I’ll show him—if I can shake his head and make his brain touch his skull, he’s gonna go to sleep”

– UFC 324 media day appearance, dismissing Paddy Pimblett’s claim that "Scousers don't get knocked out.

“I'm gonna beat the f**king dog sh*t out of him—straight—up, stand—up style. None of that grappling. I'm just gonna get in your face, knee your ribs, elbow your f**king face. It's gonna be a fight, man”

– via The Ariel Helwani Show, confirming that negotiations are officially underway for a potential clash with Conor McGregor at the UFC White House event in June.

“He could be champion literally today. If he went in and fought Tom Aspinall or Ciryl Gane... I don't think there's a chance anyone has against him”

– via The Fighter vs. The Writer making a bold claim about the ceiling of Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson.

“It’s just like fighting Chandler again. That’s the way I’m looking at this. He’s got one way to catch me, and I’ve got about 50 different ways to finish him”

– via Applied Nutrition, comparing his UFC 324 opponent Justin Gaethje to his most recent victory

“Sad to say, but I think I’m gonna retire him”

– via an exclusive interview with ESPN UK (January 15, 2026), predicting the end of Justin Gaethje’s legendary career ahead of their UFC 324 interim title clash.

“I'd box his face up. Wrestling? 10—0. Bro, I am an Olympian. We're gonna get in a wrestling stance and wrestle with shoes on? 10 — 0 all day”

– via The Ariel Helwani Show (January 13, 2026), responding to the prospect of a high—stakes wrestling match against his career—long rival, Jon Jones.

“Once I get this belt, I'm not gonna stop. I'm gonna beat Paddy, beat Ilia, and then I got to get Max back. I have to. Both Charles and Max beat me, so I want either one of those back.”

– via UFC on Paramount+ (January 14, 2026), detailing his "revenge tour" aspirations ahead of his interim title fight at UFC 324.

“"Once I get this belt, I'm not gonna stop. I'm gonna beat Paddy, beat Ilia, and then I got to get Max back. I have to. Both Charles and Max beat me, so I want either one of those back.”

– via UFC on Paramount+ (January 14, 2026), detailing his ""revenge tour"" aspirations ahead of his interim title fight at UFC 324."

“Once I get this belt, I'm not gonna stop. I'm gonna beat Paddy, beat Ilia, and then I got to get Max back. I have to. Both Charles and Max beat me, so I want either one of those back.”

– via UFC on Paramount+ (January 14, 2026), detailing his "revenge tour" aspirations ahead of his interim title fight at UFC 324.

“Once I get this belt, I'm not gonna stop. I'm gonna beat Paddy, beat Ilia, and then I got to get Max back. I have to. Both Charles and Max beat me, so I want either one of those back.”

– via UFC on Paramount+ (January 14, 2026), detailing his "revenge tour" aspirations ahead of his interim title fight at UFC 324.

“I'll keep it on the feet with him. There's the blueprint to beat him — Max did it. You'll see, come January 24, when we have a perfect game plan and we finish him in three”

– via TNT Sports (January 13, 2026), revealing a shocking striking centric game plan for his UFC 324 interim title fight against Justin Gaethje.

“Ilia is very small compared to me. He's not that wide. There are weight classes for a reason. If he wants to fight me at 155, he'll seriously get messy on his face.”

– via UFC on TNT (January 13, 2026), doubling down on his size advantage over the undisputed lightweight champion, Ilia Topuria

“Let's go White House Don't worry, I will finish you fast @AlexPereiraUFC”

– via X (January 12, 2026), escalating his campaign for a champion—vs—champion superfight against Alex Pereira at the historic UFC White House event.

“All Brazilian fans tell this boy if you're not scared tell him to fight”

– via X Just minutes after his initial callout, Chimaev followed up with a message aimed directly at Pereira’s supporters

“I’ve always wanted that fight. For some reason, he hasn’t accepted it... When you’re in the octagon with me, you’ll realize that I’m not Jack Della Maddalena, I’m not Dan Hooker... I would really love to submit him in front of Khabib, and if Khabib wants to step in afterward, I’ll gladly step on his head too”

– via Eldoberdan MMA, firing a verbal heatseeker at Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov during an interview released on December 22, 2025..

“He [Pereira] accepted the fight with du plessis, but now he says khamzat is not a good fight. He says he's more famous than me and that's why i'm using his name. Bro, if i just say hi in my story on instagram, i get more views than his fights”

– via ESPN MMA, claiming he is a bigger star than Alex Pereira by stating that his casual Instagram stories receive more views than Pereira's fights.

“He tried to scare me. No one can scare me. I automatically wanted to kick his a**. Now I want to make him so tired and cut his whole face, don't finish him too early. I want to get his life, hard damage”

– via ESPN MMA, explaining his headbutt of Dan Hooker during the UFC Qatar faceoffs and detailing his violent intentions for the fight