Alex Pereira was understandably disappointed with the outcome of his recent fight, where he lost the light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev after a five-round match at UFC 313.
Known for his thrilling fights and knockout power, Pereira found it challenging to mount a significant offense against Ankalaev. He managed to land some effective calf kicks early in the fight and had a late surge in the final round. However, Ankalaev delivered the most impactful strike of the night in the second round, a powerful left hook that staggered Pereira just before the round ended.
Beyond that moment, Pereira struggled to find his rhythm, largely due to Ankalaev’s persistent forward pressure and control against the cage, which lasted for extended periods during the championship rounds.
“I knew it would be a war,” Pereira commented in his post-fight interview. “Every fight of mine is a war. He applied pressure in the second round. I felt some of his strikes, but when he put me against the cage, he wasn’t really effective.”
“We followed our strategy. We know that he puts people against the fence, and he utilizes that tactic.”
Being controlled against the fence without absorbing substantial damage, yet still losing the fight, was a particularly tough aspect for Pereira to accept.
He acknowledged that Ankalaev’s strategy was effective in securing the UFC light heavyweight title. Pereira suggested that other fighters might be inclined to adopt a similar strategy, even though it may lead to less exciting fights.
“Giving him the win with a game plan like that might encourage others to use similar tactics,” Pereira observed. “People might call it a boring style, but when someone wins using it, it becomes an appealing approach. I did hurt him against the fence; the difference is I was the one being controlled.”
Ultimately, Pereira lost by unanimous decision, with judges scoring the fight 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47 in favor of Ankalaev, the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
This was not the result Pereira desired, but he is likely to have an opportunity to avenge his loss. UFC CEO Dana White indicated that an immediate rematch is “probably” the next step.
While Pereira didn’t explicitly call for a rematch immediately after the fight, his stance shifted on social media.
“Gonna make some adjustments for the rematch, and I’ll be back much better, you can count on it,” Pereira stated in a video posted on Sunday. “Never give up on your dreams. Chama.”
A post shared by Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira (@alexpoatanpereira)
