Alex Pereira is currently preparing for his third title defense in 2024 against Khalil Rountree at UFC 308. Prior to the fight, many fans criticized the UFC for not giving Magomed Ankalaev a chance and allegedly shielding the Brazilian. Given the circumstances, Pereira has come clean and stated that he does not make the decisions but rather Dana White.
Ali Abdelaziz, who previously managed lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, currently manages Magomed Ankalaev. During a recent interview, he blasted the promotion for not considering Ankalaev as a title contender against Pereira. The champion recently addressed the outrage, asking Ankalaev’s manager to take the problem to Dana White rather than ranting online.
Even his manager right? A super famous guy in the MMA world goes and says ‘This guy [Pereira] is not going to fight. Go talk to Dana White… [he] doesn’t want to make the matchup. It’s not Alex….Because if the UFC, Dana White, and the guys decide, so they are joke? They’re clowns? They’re circus? You got to sort that out with the organization
Alex Pereira via Kevin Iole’s YouTube channel
Pereira also managed to take a sneaky jibe at Magomed and make fun of his fight style and lack of demand from fight fans. After announcing his fight with Rountree, Pereira claimed that Ankalaev refused to take the fight at UFC 307. However, it didn’t take much time for the Russian fighter to refute such claims and accused Pereira of lying.
Alex Pereira DENIES avoiding the Magomed Ankalaev fight:
“You gotta sort that with the organization…
It’s not my fault that Ankalaev has such a boring style of fighting that nobody wants to watch.”
🎥 @KevinI #UFC #MMA #UFC307 pic.twitter.com/42OS04SuHr
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 28, 2024
Many experts, like Daniel Cormier, have expressed similar views regarding the UFC supposedly protecting its ‘golden goose’. On paper, Ankalaev poses the greatest threat to Pereira with his wrestling. Though Ankalaev has promised that he won’t be shooting for takedowns, the fight is definitely more intriguing among fight fans than the current one.
Magomed Ankalaev calls out Alex Pereira for picking on ‘weak’ opponents
Alex Pereira has definitely established himself as one of the biggest superstars in the current UFC roster. ‘Poatan’ is a fan favorite and frequently fights, giving the promotion big pay-per-views. With PPV stars like Sean O’Malley losing their championship belts, UFC cannot afford to lose Pereira next.
Magomed Ankalaev mocks Alex Pereira (via Imago)‘Poatan’ has a great relationship with Dana White and looks forward to following him in his boxing venture. On top of that, Pereira has also talked about moving down and fighting Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight championship. However, as expected, Magomed Ankalaev is not a fan of this.
You are so weak @AlexPereiraUFC you only pick on the guys who are in lower division than you and you think you can beat them people are not stupid there is a reason why you are fighting Khalil and not me.
Magomed Ankalaev via X
You are so weak @AlexPereiraUFC you only pick on the guys who are in lower division than you and you think you can beat them people are not stupid there is a reason why you are fighting Khalil and not me https://t.co/8rhBH18kre
— Magomed Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) September 3, 2024
Pereira’s upcoming opponent, Khalil Rountree, is a finisher and is currently on a five-fight win streak. However, that doesn’t really satisfy fans who want a more competitive contender. Jan Blachowicz, the only light heavyweight to go the distance against Pereira, is equally skeptical about all this. He has also raised concerns regarding UFC’s questionable decision to make Pereira fight Rountree.
