Alex Pereira unhappy with trash talk from Magomedov Ankalaev, manager, open to making him wait for title fight
Undisputed light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira has claimed he is rather disrespected by apparent trash talk from rival, Magomed Ankalaev and his manager, claiming he may even delay a potential title fight between the duo as a result.
Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight gold holder and the current light heavyweight kingpin, most recently headlined UFC 307 earlier this month against challenger, Khalil Rountree.
And successfully defending the divisional crown for the third time this year alone, Sao Paulo star, Pereira landed a stunning fourth round knockout win over Syndicate MMA staple, Rountree, bloody and battering the striker with a brutal barrage at the Octagon fence.
Alex Pereira unhappy with trash talk from Magomed Ankalaev
And immediately linked with a turnaround to fight the victor of next weekend’s potential title eliminator between Russian contender, Magomed Ankalaev, and Aleksandar Rakic, Pereira voiced his displeasure with apparent trash talk from the former title challenger, threatening to delay a potential grudge fight between the two.
“Some people say (Magomed) Ankalaev [is next], but I’m going to be honest with you, him and his manager have been talking a lot crap,” Alex Pereira told Ariel Helwani for Uncrowned. “Saying that I don’t want to fight. This and that. Honestly, that’s disrespectful that they’re trying to put it on me. Because it’s not up to me, it’s up to the organization.”
“The organization doesn’t want to make the fight,” Alex Pereira explained. “But now, because they keep saying that, keep disrespecting [me], maybe I’ll make it a little bit even harder for them to fight [me].”
Prior to his knockout win over Rountree earlier this summer, Pereira featured in the main event of UFC 303 back in June, landing an impressive second round high-kick knockout win over former champion, Jiri Prochazka.
And headlining UFC 300 at the beginning of the year Brazilian fan-favorite, Pereira stopped another former champion, Jamahal Hill in their grudge fight — stopping the Contender Series product with a devastating stoppage in the opening round.
