UFC 313: Pereira Requested ‘Ordinary Guy’

The UFC announced the next task for UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira during Saturday’s UFC 311 fight card. Pereira faces No. 1 ranked UFC light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313, and the tension between the two is already rising.

UFC 313: Alex Pereira Vs. Magomed Ankalaev Ducking Accusations

Ankalaev has been vocal with his opinion that the UFC’s 205-pound champion has been avoiding him for some time, writing, in August that Pereira is the “biggest chicken in the Ufc he call out guys middleweight he 40 pound more than them I am the only guy he doesn’t even mention my name I promise I’m gonna handle my business in October and I’m gonna knock you out under 2 round.”

UFC 313: Alex Pereira Vs. Magomed Ankalaev Ducking Accusations Addressed

Pereira addressed that charge while attending UFC 311 in California. Speaking backstage to the UFC’s Megan Olivi through a translator after the announcement of his fight with Ankalaev, Pereira said, “I did say that I wanted to take a break, but I start training again, I start feeling good. I start seeing my evolution. So I call my managers right away and I say, ‘I wanna fight. I wanna fight in March. I wanna fight Ankalaev.’”

“I know he keeps saying that I’m a just an employee of the UFC, I fight whenever they want. But I asked for him. I told them when I wanna fight.”

“He’s as dangerous as any other fighter I’ve fought,” Pereira added. “Looking at him, the way that he fights, he’s an ordinary guy. Of course he has his weapons, has his dangers. But I’ve been training hard. I evolved a lot, and I’m ready for him.”

“I’m ready to fight anybody, it doesn’t matter who,” Pereira continued. “Right now, it’s Ankalaev’s time. I’m gonna fight Ankalaev. But after this fight, [if] everything’s doing good, we’re gonna give Jiri an opportunity. That’s what he said that he wants, and he’s gonna have it.”

UFC 313: Alex Pereira Vs. Magomed Ankalaev – The Challenger Responds

Pereira also wrote on social media on Saturday, “See you soon Ankalaev.”

Ankalaev responded a few hours later, “You just sign your death certificate I’m gonna punish you for ducking me and I’m gonna make you look like a guy work in a tire shop not professional fighter.”

UFC 313: Alex Pereira Vs. Magomed Ankalaev Opening Betting Odds

According to BetOnline, Ankalaev opened as the -200 betting favorite over Pereira, who opened as the +170 betting underdog.

UFC 313 Main Event: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev

Alex Pereira (12-2) began 2023 by losing his UFC middleweight title to Israel Adesanya by knockout. In July, Pereira followed that setback with a win over former UFC light heavyweight title holder, Jan Błachowicz, in his UFC debut at 205 pounds. He finished the year by knocking out ex-UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jiří Procházka at UFC 295 to claim the vacant UFC 205-pound title.

Pereira made his first defense of his crown in April when he knocked out(another) ex-UFC light heavyweight champ, Jamahal Hill, in the first round of their UFC 300 matchup. Pereira showed his power is on another level, when he finished Hill 3:14 into the first round of the main event of UFC 300.

In June, on very short notice, the UFC called on Pereira and Procházka to headline UFC 303 when the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight fell off that card.

After the bout, which Pereira won via a knockout 13 seconds into the second stanza, I wrote:

Pereira showed that his first win over Prochazka wasn’t a fluke. The UFC light heavyweight champ is a fearsome fighter who packs a lot of power in his strikes, but he’s also an extremely focused competitor who doesn’t let anything bother him.

Pereira effectively scored two knockouts on Saturday night, blasting former champion Jiri Prochazka to the mat at the bell to end the first round and then sending him right back down in the opening moments of the second round with a head kick.

In August the UFC booked Pereira against Khalil Rountree Jr for the main event of UFC 307, which took place on October 5. Pereira outclassed Rountree, putting a beating on his opponent before scoring a fourth-round TKO win.

Pereira picked up his third UFC title defense of 2024 on Saturday night. Pereira let his opponent, Khalil Rountree Jr, tire himself out in the early going of the fight while simultaneously slowing him with powerful kicks to Rountree’s lead leg. Pereira picked up the pace in the third round, fighting very effectively behind his jab. That jab opened up several nasty cuts around Rountree’s eye and on the bridge of his nose. Those blows hurt Rountree, and once Pereira had Rountree fading, he picked him apart with precision and power, forcing the referee, Marc Goddard, to stop the fight in the fourth round. Goddard could have stopped this much sooner.

Pereira was in the running for fighter of the year for 2024.

Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-1-1) has been a member of the UFC roster since 2018. Ankalaev lost his UFC debut when Paul Craig submitted him at 4:59 of the third round. Since then, Ankalaev has gone 13 fights without a loss.

Ankalaev secured a title fight in December 2022 when he faced former UFC champion Jan Blachowicz for the vacant light heavyweight crown. However, that contest ended in a split draw, and with neither man impressing the matchmakers in that matchup, the UFC opted not to give either man a second go at earning the belt.

Since then, Ankalaev is 2-0-0-1 with a no contest (illegal knee) against Johnny Walker, and most recently a decision win over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308.

When the UFC opted to give UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira a fight against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 and bypass Ankalaev, he felt snubbed by the promotion, but also motivated.

“Now everybody knows I’m not fighting for the title and will fight Rakic in Abu Dhabi. Whoever (UFC matchmaker) Mick Maynard gives me I will smash their face so that they can no longer deny me if I do my job impressively. I feel sorry for whoever is gonna fight me from now going forward,” Ankalaev said at the time.

Not long after that, Ankalaev said that Pereira was running from him.

At UFC 313, Ankalaev gets his long awaited shot at Pereira.

UFC 313 Fight Card

UFC 313 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.