Outside Source
Magomed Ankalaev did not get the version of Alex Pereira that he expected.
The Dagestani standout outstruck his opponent on the feet and mixed in occasional control against the fence to capture a close unanimous decision triumph in the UFC 313 headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. While Pereira is typically known for his offensive prowess, Ankalaev proved to be too difficult a puzzle to solve for the Brazilian star.
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“He was considered to be the best striker in the division on the way to this fight,” Ankalaev said through a translator at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “That’s what everybody was talking about, the narrative was that he’s the best. You saw what kind of best striker he was in the fight. You saw how well we did against the striking and how our striking was working.
“We didn’t have to rely on the wrestling because we were confident in our striking. We were trying to get him to go forward the entire time, that’s what we were baiting, that’s what we were trying to push, and he never walked forward.”
Ankalaev kept moving forward for the majority of the bout and landed the most memorable blow of the bout when he staggered Pereira with a left hook in the second round. While the Dagestani failed on all 12 of his takedown attempts, the threat of wrestling was enough to keep Pereira off balance. While some observers thought the verdict could have gone the Brazilian’s way, Ankalaev didn’t believe there should have been any doubt regarding the outcome.
“I was confident. I kept on moving forward,” Ankalaev said. “I kept on pressuring him, and he kept on running away from me. For 20 minutes, this guy was running away from me. Then I heard at the end of the fight that he was saying he wasn’t sure why the victory was given to me. Who are they supposed to give the victory to? I was pressuring the entire time, and he was running for 20 minutes, and he’s wondering who’s supposed to get the victory?
“Listen, I’m happy for a rematch if he wants a rematch, but maybe the rematch he can fight for real, not just run away the entire time.”
During his portion of the post-fight presser, UFC CEO Dana White said that an immediate rematch between Ankalaev and Pereira was “probably” the next move in the division. Though the fight was not what he expected, White admitted that Ankalaev deserved to get the nod on the scorecards.
“I wouldn’t take anything from Ankalaev, and the pressure he put on Alex tonight,” White said. “Kept pushing forward, even in the fifth round I was listening on the headphones and Alex’s corner was saying ‘You’ve got to go after him this round. You have to let everything go. You’ve got to let your hands go. You’ve got to try to take him out.’”
Ankalaev reiterated that he wouldn’t shy away from a return date with Pereira if that’s what the promotion desires.
“Yes, I never pick my opponents, so I’m very much happy and ready for a rematch,” Ankalaev said. “Whenever UFC offers it to us, we’ll see what the date is, we’ll be happy to accept it.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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