Pereira Not Interested In A Third Ankalaev Fight

Alex Pereira has made it clear that he does not expect another fight with Magomed Ankalaev after their upcoming UFC 320 rematch.

Pereira lost his light heavyweight belt at UFC 313 via a unanimous decision in March, his first defeat at the weight class: 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47. Ankalaev managed to negate Pereira’s striking by pinning him against the cage to secure the win. A rematch had been talked about for a significant period, with both sides accusing each other of ducking. However, with the rematch set, Pereira is looking to rectify the mistakes he made. He has been training with former middleweight champion Sean Strickland to improve his grappling, with an eye on ending the rivalry after their next fight. 

“I think the story will be over. It’s obviously out of my control. It’s up to the UFC. If they want to do it again, I’ll fight anyone. To be honest, from everything we’ve seen, I think with him losing, I don’t think he’s going to fight for the title any more. It was a lot of things combined. I’m not going to sit here and make excuses.

“We’re going to have the opportunity to go again and we have a whole team together to make it happen. … It’s always going to be a tough fight. There are two guys who are super well-prepared. Both want to win. Both want to take the title. I’m going to do my best and I’m going to do everything I can to be feeling extra well and super well on that night, to be able to impose my rhythm and be able to impose my game plan and be able to come out with the win,” Pereira said 

Implications

From a career perspective, this is a sensible move for Alex. He is a proven commodity, a star who sells pay-per-views because of his exciting, knockout-centric style. For example, if he wins, a fight with Jiri Prochazka or a third fight with Israel Adesanya (should Adesanya move up) would generate far more buzz and revenue than a third bout with Ankalaev.

However, a trilogy fight is what defines a rivalry. From a competitive standpoint, ending the series at 1-1 with a rematch leaves an element of doubt. It doesn’t definitively prove that Pereira has solved the puzzle that Ankalaev presents. His comment about Ankalaev not getting another title shot comes across as a dismissal of his opponent’s skills. Either way, Pereira must avenge that loss.