Magomed Ankalaev threatens Alex Pereira with "3x damage" than Israel Adesanya, wants to "make a deal" with unique stipulation
Alex Pereira recently received a strong warning from Magomed Ankalaev. Ankalaev claimed that he would inflict three times the damage to Pereira that Israel Adesanya did. He also made an unusual proposal to the reigning champion while challenging him to a fight.
Pereira retained his UFC belt against Jiri Prochazka this past weekend, extending his winning run to four. But Ankalaev, who feels he's the next legitimate challenger for the belt, has offered to keep the fight on the feet rather than use his wrestling advantage.
The Russian called out Pereira in a string of tweets, writing:
''@AlexPereiraUFC I respect you but the reality is you're still the champion because you haven't fought me yet. You fought with a fake ninja and a street fighter both with no chins. If Izzy can KO you then I will cause 3x damage. I will do it with no wrestling with you.''
''Good for him. I will soon send him back to Brazil belt less.''
''@AlexPereiraUFC I will make a deal. First 15 minutes no takedowns. @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite''
Ankalaev (19-1-1) has a good case for a shot at the light heavyweight title. Following a split draw in a vacant title bout against Jan Blachowicz, he landed an unintentional illegal knee during his first clash with Johnny Walker at UFC 294 that resulted in a no-contest.
In their second meeting in January, the Russian knocked out Walker in devastating fashion, reminding fans of his striking prowess.
Meanwhile, Pereira is 11-2 in MMA. Since making his way to the UFC in 2021, he has claimed championships at both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. He plans to move up to heavyweight in the near future.
Alex Pereira opens up about his ground game
Reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defended his title with a second-round knockout victory against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303. Despite Pereira's impressive run, capturing titles in two divisions within the UFC, many believe Pereira has a significant weakness in wrestling.
Pereira considered Magomed Ankalaev, his next possible opponent, and talked about his wrestling prowess in an interview with Sportsnet last month, saying:
''Everybody talks about Ankalaev, talks about his ground, but they don’t know my ground. It’s not even to show [my ground game]. [I] just go with the flow. But I’d like to show some time.” [H/t: MMA Junkie]