Team Magomed Ankalaev Mocks Alex Pereira’s Striking Ability “He Cannot Surprise Us With Anything.”
Magomed Ankalaev’s team is evidently not high on the stand-up ability of Alex Pereira and recently took aim at the striking acumen of the multi-division Glory kickboxing/ UFC champion. Ankalaev and Pereira will run it back for a rematch this weekend, with the two switching between the champion and challenger roles. Ankalaev will defend his crown against Pereira at UFC 320 on October 4th after the former claimed the belt from the latter during their UFC 313 clash in March.
During a countdown piece leading into the company’s next pay-per-view offering, there were people within the Russian light heavyweight champion’s camp who weren’t high on the striking game of ‘Poatan’ as Ankalaev’s coach said,
“Alex Pereira, there’s nothing with which he can surprise us. Not with his work in the stand up. In wrestling he definitely cannot surprise. He cannot surprise [us] with anything… His technique is standard, his strikes are standard. He’s an old kickboxer. He has no speed… Powerful punch? Alex, he has a punch, but not the kind that can really knock you out. And I tell everyone, if Magomed opens up he’ll surprise everyone and can even outplay, in pure stand up, a better striker than Alex Pereira.”
Magomed Ankalaev weighs UFC Perth main event win over potential outcome in key UFC 320 bout
Magomed Ankalaev is focused on going 2-0 over Alex Pereira on Saturday night but also has an idea of who his enxt challenge can be. While a consequential contest at 205 pounds is happening on the PPV, he headlines with former champ Jiri Prochazka facing former title challenger Khalil Rountree, Ankalaev seemed more tuned into the recent UFC Perth main event.
Leading into UFC Perth and while speaking with assembled media, Ankalaev stated [via BJPenn.com],
“To be honest, the fight this week between [Dominick] Reyes and [Carlos] Ulberg is much more interesting to me because [Prochazka and Rountree] fought for the title multiple times – we’ve watched them in title fights But the fight coming up this week is new guys. I mean, yeah, Reyes fought for the title before, but the other guy, [Ulberg] – I’m interested in this fight more than the other fight.”
Carlos Ulberg went on to finish Dominick Reyes with a devastating KO, and it will take a lot from the Prochazka-Rountree victor to leap Ulberg in the queue of possible UFC light heavyweight title challengers post-UFC 320.
