UFC veteran advises Alex Pereira against fighting Magomed Ankalaev next: "Not worth the risk"
A UFC veteran recently weighed in on what could be next for Alex Pereira and advised him to avoid a matchup against Magomed Ankalaev. The Brazilian has yet to compete against a high-level wrestler and grappler, and so many believe that the Dagestani would make for an intriguing bout.
'Poatan' is coming off a spectacular second-round TKO win over Jiri Prochazka in the main event of UFC 303 this past Saturday. After the bout, the reigning light heavyweight champion made it clear that he would fight anybody the promotion puts in front of him and would also be open to competing at heavyweight.
During his appearance on Infinity Sports Network's The Zack Gelb Show, UFC veteran Chael Sonnen highlighted 'Poatan' wrestling as an area of weakness that could be exploited. With that in mind, he suggested that Pereira avoid a bout against Ankalaev because that is an area, which he is known for. He said:
"The problem there is [Magomed] Ankalaev does have the one skillset, he's a fighter from Dagestan, which means he has high level grappling. One of Khabib's [Nurmagomedov] guys. And the one style we haven't seen Alex [Pereira] dominate or even defeat...And it's not worth the risk in my opinion."
Check out the full interview with Chael Sonnen below (7:04 - 7:21):
UFC veteran Chael Sonnen heaps praise on Alex Pereira
UFC veteran Chael Sonnen recently heaped praise on Alex Pereira for his willingness to step in on short notice regardless of his opponent and for saving two massive events.
The reigning light heavyweight champion stepped in on short notice and headlined both UFC 300 and UFC 303. The most recent event was significant as the promotion scrambled to find a replacement main event after Conor McGregor was forced to pull out of the event.
During the aforementioned appearance, Sonnen praised Pereira for his confidence despite his lack of MMA experience compared to some of the other champions in the promotion. He said:
"He [Alex Pereira] said, 'I will fight anybody and I'm always ready', and I have to believe him...He saved the show [UFC 303] two nights ago, he saved UFC 300...He offered to go to heavyweight and fight Tom Aspinall, our current champion in the absence of Jon Jones. This guy's the real deal." [5:57 - 6:13]
Check out Alex Pereira interacting with fans after his title defense below: