Alex Pereira is one of the UFC’s most popular fighters. However, the Brazilian has been accused of avoiding a fight with Magomed Ankalaev by some fans. Ankalaev previously competed for gold against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 282, with the fight being ruled a draw.
After most recently defeating fellow contender Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308, the former title challenger is on the cusp of another shot at the light heavyweight belt. But Alex Pereira has recently admitted to intentionally making it difficult for the Dagestani fighter to secure a fight against him.
The Brazilian pointed to the “lies” that Ankalaev has spread about him online as the main reason for his agenda to frustrate the No.1 ranked light heavyweight contender.
‘Poatan’ was in attendance for the annual World MMA Awards, held on Dec. 5, where he was interviewed by MMAJunkie about potential facing Ankalaev next. He said:
“Like I said before, it comes down to my choice. I want to make it harder for [Ankalaev] because of all the lies that he said about me. Let’s see what’s next.”
Catch Alex Pereira’s comments about Magomed Ankalaev below (2:30):
Pereira was crowned the 2024 MMA Fighter of the Year following a career-defining three-fight title reign. ‘Poatan’ knocked out Jamahal Hill at UFC 300, before securing a second KO win over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303. He followed that up by handing Khalil Rountree Jr. a TKO loss at UFC 307, rounding off three title defenses in seven months.