Alex Pereira does not necessarily see a rubber match down the line with Magomed Ankalaev once the dust settles on their rematch at UFC 320. ‘Poatan’ first fought Ankalaev earlier this year at UFC 313, with the Russian combatant wresting the light heavyweight title from Pereira by way of a unanimous decision in March.
It’s a classic scenario in combat sports to have a tiebreaking trilogy bout, if Pereira were to regain the gold in their October 4th sequel clash, but in an interview with MMA Junkie, where a translator from Stake who translated the imparted message from Portuguese to English, Pereira said [via MMA Junkie],
“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.”
Alex Pereira is not making excuses for the first Magomed Ankalaev fight, looking to impose his game plan in the rematch
Alex Pereira dropped a pretty lopsided first fight to Magomed Ankalaev, and when describing his recollections of their initial bout in the context of how he is aiming to best ensure the rematch plays out differently in the coming weeks, Pereira stated [via MMA Junkie],
“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.”