MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz thinks years of competition and damage may have compromised Alex Pereira’s ability to take a punch. He believes it may hurt the Brazilian’s chances if he fights Magomed Ankalaev.
While speaking to Submission Radio during a recent appearance, Abdelaziz predicted Ankalaev would defeat his next opponent Aleksandar Rakic, and shared his thoughts on the potential fight against Pereira in light of the Brazilian’s UFC 307 win over Khalil Rountree Jr.:
“I didn’t know too much about Khalil. I think he was a 50-50 double fighter. Yesterday I became a fan of Khalil Rountree for life. Khalil Rountree dropped Pereira two times. I believe Ankalaev has way more precision [in his striking], he’s way smarter than both of them. I believe Alex Pereira’s chin is a little bit better at light heavyweight. But the man has been in so many wars and I believe his chin is not there. It’s normal. It’s not a knock on him. I don’t think his chin is there 100 percent.”
Check out Ali Abdelaziz’s comments below:
Ali Abdelaziz praises Alex Pereira, reveals the reason behind Magomed Ankalaev not getting a title shot
Magomed Ankalaev, one of the few strong wrestlers in the light heavyweight title picture, hails from Dagestan and is a prominent fighter managed by Abdelaziz. He is on a 12-fight unbeaten streak(10-0-1-1NC) in the UFC and occupies the No.2 spot in the rankings.
As a result, many questioned the UFC’s decision to give No.8-ranked Khalil Rountree a title shot against Alex Pereira at UFC 307. Speaking in the aforementioned interview with Submission Radio, Abdelaziz implied that Pereira was not the reason why Ankalaev did not get the title shot:
“I can’t say nothing bad about Alex Pereira. I think he’s a great fighter. I think he brings a lot of excitement. I think he’s always willing to fight.”
He then shared their negotiations with the UFC and revealed the actual reason behind Ankalev’s delayed title shot:
“UFC is the business. They said, ‘Hey, we get it. Let Pereira fight Khalil, let Ankalaev fight Rakic. If he goes out there and wins, they can both fight.’ And we’re at this point. Alex did his job, Ankalaev has to go out there and knock Rakic out or smash him… and he’ll get his shot.”
Check out Ali Abdelaziz’s comments below (0:38):
Ankalaev will fight No.5-ranked Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308. The event will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Oct. 26.