Magomed Ankalaev vows to stop Alex Pereira in rematch title fight: ‘It won’t go the distance’
Maintaining a rematch with arch-rival, Alex Pereira is likely next, UFC 313 victor, Magomed Ankalaev has claimed he will not allow the Brazilian to see the scorecards this time around — vowing to finish him in an immediate rematch.
Ankalaev, the newly-minted undisputed light heavyweight champion, headlined UFC 313 last weekend against Sao Paulo knockout artist, Pereira, narrowly landing a unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) triumph against the former two-weight champion.
And given the close nature of the pairing in ‘Sin City’, fans and pundits immediately called for a rematch between Ankalaev and Pereira next — with the duo both welcoming the chance to take each other on next.
Claiming negotiations are already underway for him to defend his title against Pereira next, Ankalaev accused the former champion of “running” from him during UFC 313.
And himself confident of securing a re-run with the Russian star next, Pereira claimed talks were already tabled for him to fight Ankalaev again.
“Guys, I’m back home,” Alex Pereira said on his YouTube channel. “I think we did a great job. Not only in this fight, but we have evolved a lot. I’m learning from each other. I’m very happy because it’s the result I expected. I was confident in this fight. I was good for the fight. I trained a lot. Of course, some things happen, but I don’t want to apologize.
“I know we’re going to have this rematch,” Alex Pereira continued. “I’m already talking about what I did. I already told you about the fight. A lot of people protested there. I haven’t watched the fight yet. I’m going to watch the fight and give my opinion.”
Magomed Ankalaev vows to finish Alex Pereira in immediate rematch
And reacting to Brazilian star, Pereira’s comments, Ankalaev claimed he was ready for a sixth round against the former, but warned him he would finish him this time around.
“I’m ready for round 6 but this time will not go for full distant (sic) let’s go guys,” Magomed Ankalaev posted on his official X account overnight.
