Outside Source
“He has a legitimate shot of beating him.”
Sean @SStricklandMMA breaks down the anticipated rematch between UFC light heavyweight champ Magomed @AnkalaevM and @AlexPereiraUFC . pic.twitter.com/cplE8sKqVG
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) May 26, 2025
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Sean Strickland believes Alex Pereira needs to reset before facing Magomed Ankalaev again.
Ankalaev dethroned Pereira via unanimous decision at UFC 313 this past March. The Brazilian is expected to get an immediate chance to reclaim his light heavyweight title. Strickland believes his former opponent turned friend can beat Ankalaev in a potential rematch.
However, Strickland believes Pereira needs to step back and collect himself before fighting Ankalaev. Strickland noted that “Poatan” defended his strap three times within six months last year. According to Strickland, the activity paired with Pereira’s overnight rise to stardom was bound to take a toll on the Brazilian. Strickland also believes Ankalaev is nowhere close to as big a star as Pereira and hence doesn’t have to deal with as many media or commercial obligations. Strickland also advised Pereira to stop touring around foreign countries for the time being.
“Ankalaev is just so f—ing good… I think Alex has a great chance of beating him in a rematch,” Strickland told Red Corner MMA. “I think Alex goes too hard. I mean, how many title defenses has he had, going up and down weight classes? Where Ankalaev rides the bench for a certain amount of time.”
“Being that active and on top of that being a superstar. Like no one knows who the f–k Ankalaev is. Ankalaev walks down the street, no one knows who the f–k that guy is. Alex is a superstar. He can’t leave his house without someone saying, ‘Oh s–t there’s Alex, should we take a picture?’ It kind of takes a toll on the mind. Where you take Ankalaev, he lives in a f—ing cave somewhere… He doesn’t have to deal with the same pressures of being famous as we do in the U.S. So I think Alex maybe just takes a step back, clears his brain, comes in fresh. Stop f—ing traveling all over the f—ing world. I think he has a legitimate shot of beating him.”
Ankalaev tried his best to book his first title defense at UFC 317 on June 28, but Pereira seemingly wasn’t ready. Pereira even appeared to have a minor falling out with the UFC, as they were exploring other options. Reports say the UFC approached former champ Jiri Prochazka, who chose his university exams over a likely title shot.
Pereira’s loss to Ankalaev snapped a five-fight winning streak, including four title wins. Meanwhile, Ankalaev is unbeaten in 14 outings since suffering his lone career loss in an upset against Paul Craig in his UFC debut.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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