Alex Pereira will finally face off with Magomed Ankalaev. However, the build-up to this fight has been rather lengthy. The clash between the two has been speculated since Pereira won his bout against Jamahal Hill in UFC 300. Surprisingly, the UFC never made the match official in 2024. And while the fans looked quite perplexed with the decision, it now seems that Dana White and co. knew what they were doing.
According to the UFC light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, he was ready for Ankalaev a long time back. Right after his bout with Jiri Prochazka, Pereira wanted to face the Russian on UFC 305. This was quite surprising as it would be less than two months from Pereira’s last fight. And even though ‘Poatan’ has a track record of incredibly short TATs, this would have been too much even for him.
Alex Pereira reveals he asked Hunter Campbell to fight Magomed Ankalaev at #UFC305, less than 2 months after his title defense against Jiri Prochazka at #UFC303
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 6, 2025
The UFC turned down his offer because they wanted a longer build-up to the fight
(via. #UFC313 Media Day) pic.twitter.com/MXH7l3TEF5
But apart from this, another major reason for the bout not happening is the UFC. Apparently, they turned down Pereira’s offer as they wanted the build-up to the match to be a bit longer. It was perhaps for the same reason that they pitted Khalil Rountree Jr. instead of Ankalaev. Meanwhile, now that the match is on, Magomed Ankalaev has been trading verbal shots at Pereira. While he warned Poatan about wrestling for 25 minutes, Pereira also hit back at him with a suitable reply.
Alex Pereira Gives A Savage Reply To Magomed Ankalaev
Magomed Ankalaev recently warned Pereira about whether he can stand his wrestling for the full five rounds. While this might look like a legitimate concern, Alex Pereira had his own reply to make. He countered the question by saying what if Ankalaev had to stand up for the entirety of the bout?
“Let’s see if he can stand 25 minutes. If he can’t grapple me for 25 minutes, he’s gonna have to stand up. We all know how that’s gonna go,” said Pereira.
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Alex Pereira responds to Ankalaev telling him ‘I hope you’re ready to wrestle for 25 minutes’:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 3, 2025
“Let’s see if he can stand 25 minutes. If he can’t grapple me for 25 minutes he’s gonna have to stand up.
We all know how that’s gonna go.” 👀
🎥 @nypostpic.twitter.com/fWM0ZgPp5q
Thus, it is evident that the battle of the words has reached its full potential. With just days to go for the bout, fans cannot wait to see who among the two comes out on top.
Also Read: Alex Pereira Shrugs Off Training Possibilities With Jon Jones As UFC 313 Fight Draws Near
