Opposite to what he’s mentioned up to now, Magomed Ankalaev has each intention of making an attempt to wrestle Alex Pereira.
Three years faraway from his first shot at gentle heavyweight gold, Ankalaev steps again into the principle occasion highlight at UFC 313 in Las Vegas with desires of leaving ‘Sin Metropolis’ as a world champion. Standing in his method shall be Pereira, a person who laid waste to everybody who’s dared problem him for his 205-pound crown.
However not like Pereira’s earlier opponents, Ankalaev has a really explicit set of expertise that would show to be a nightmare for ‘Poatan.’ The one query is, will Ankalaev use it?
Sure. Sure, he’ll.
Beforehand, Ankalaev boldly claimed that he could be prepared to face and commerce with the previous two-division GLORY Kickboxing champion. Nonetheless, the Dagestani has since reversed programs, making it clear that as quickly as he sees a chance to take action, he’s going to shoot on the Brazilian boogeyman.
“That was the preliminary tweet when Alex received the belt,” Ankalaev mentioned in an interview with ESPN MMA. “Teixeira tweeted one thing, after which we tweeted don’t fear concerning the wrestling. However issues have modified lots since then. He kinda forgot about my title. Now, we mentioned that Glover’s wrestling will not be going to assist him.”
Magomed Ankalaev able to problem ‘Poatan’ like no person else has earlier than
Whereas Ankalaev’s grappling expertise are simple, he usually chooses to face up together with his opponents, as evidenced by his paltry common of 0.92 takedowns per quarter-hour. He additionally has zero wins by submission all through his total blended martial arts profession, however that would very effectively change this Saturday ought to he reach muscling Pereira all the way down to the mat.
For Pereira, it is going to be his fourth time defending the sunshine heavyweight title. Final 12 months, ‘Poatan’ scored KOs in opposition to Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree Jr. all in protection of his 205-pound crown.
Because it stands, Pereira vs. Ankalaev is a decide’em with DraftKings sportsbook having each fighters listed as at -110. With the way in which issues are trending, there’s a superb likelihood that ‘Poatan’ could possibly be a full-fledged underdog come combat evening.
