Magomed Ankalaev claims Alex Pereira’s stature and demeanor scares other fighters after UFC 313 win

Conquering light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira at UFC 313 over the weekend, Magomed Ankalaev has claimed the Brazilian’s side and outright “demeanor” led all of his foes before him to be too fearful to bring a legitimate fight against him.

Ankalaev, the newly-minted light heavyweight champion, turned in a controversial victory over knockout artist, Pereira over the course of last weekend, landing a unanimous judging (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) win over the incumbent in a contentious result.

Ending his roughshod run at the light heavyweight, Ankalaev became the first fighter at 205lbs to beat Pereira in his gold laden Octagon tenure.

Magomed Ankalaev claims Alex Pereira’s “demeanor” makes opponents fearful

And according to the Russian, the likes of Jiri Prochazka, Jamahal Hill, and Khalil Rountree all feared Pereira too much — leading to their eventual knockout losses, claiming the former’s “demeanor” is likely the to blame for their defeats.

“I knew Pereira couldn’t fight (Jon) Jones and (Tom) Aspinall, as those guys have good wrestling, and they are not small,” Ankalaev told Kolos on MMA after his UFC 313 win. “We know Alex as a puncher, and most of his opponents were afraid of his look, his demeanor. It was affecting his opponents”

Furthermore, pressing past the stature of Pereira in their grudge fight, Ankalaev claimed he was disappointed with the performance levelled against him — accusing the former of “running” from a clash with him.

I’m very happy to beat a champion like Alex Pereira. Now, the belt is in the owner’s hands,” Magomed Ankalaev continued.

“I thought Pereira was going to be pushing, coming forward,” Magomed Ankalaev explained. “I thought he’d want to finish me. We prepared ourselves to dominate him. You could tell he was running away from me.”