UFC legend says Alex Pereira won’t find success in Magomed Ankalaev rematch

One UFC legend isn’t keen on Alex Pereira accepting an immediate rematch against Magomed Ankalaev.

Pereira lost the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship to Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313 in March. “Poatan” was defeated via unanimous decision. The story of the fight was that Ankalaev was the aggressor, forcing Pereira to fight backwards, which limited the effectiveness of his striking.

A former UFC title challenger doesn’t have much reason to believe a rematch would have a different outcome.

RELATED: FORMER UFC CHAMPION REVEALS KEY CHANGES ALEX PEREIRA NEEDS TO MAKE IN MAGOMED ANKALAEV REMATCH

Alex Pereira Can’t Switch Up Against Magomed Ankalaev?

During an appearance on Submission Radio, Chael Sonnen shared that he feels Alex Pereira will have a difficult time making adjustments against Magomed Ankalaev if the two meet again (via MMAFighting).

“I’m a very big Alex Pereira fan, on a personal level but also his work inside the cage,” Sonnen said. “I gotta tell you, there is nothing within that first fight, whether illness, injury, or a combination of both, there was nothing about that first fight that would lead a reasonable analyst to believe you’re going to have a different outcome in the second fight. …

“That first fight was four to one. It was four rounds to one. It really was not overly competitive. There were some [good] things done by Pereira, such as stopping the takedowns. We didn’t know he had this ability. It was a pretty slow pace and there wasn’t a lot done. I’m just suggesting there was nothing we saw, even at a slow pace, even at a drawn down action-packed night or lack thereof, there’s nothing to believe that rounds six, seven, eight, nine, and 10 are going to be any different.”

The defeat to Ankalaev was Pereira’s first loss since April 2023 when he was knocked out by Israel Adesanya. “Poatan” ended up leaving the middleweight division to go on a five-fight tear at light heavyweight. He captured the 205-pound gold when he defeated Jiri Prochazka in the main event of UFC 295. Pereira had three successful title defenses.