Magomed Ankalaev believes Alex Pereira was “protected” ahead of UFC 313 fight: “Picks his opponents”

Light-heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev has fired shots at Alex Pereira ahead of their UFC 313 headliner.

The Russian is set to challenge for UFC gold for the second time in his career on Saturday night. Back for the first time since handing Aleksandar Rakic a unanimous decision loss in October, Magomed Ankalaev will finally face Alex Pereira. The challenger will enter the bout on a staggering 13-fight unbeaten streak, but is currently a slight betting underdog.

Nonetheless, Magomed Ankalaev is confident. Speaking in a recent interview with Ag Fight, the UFC light-heavyweight contender discussed his return to the cage. There, the grappler maligned the fact that it’s taken this long to face Alex Pereira. In Ankalev’s eyes, the Brazilian has been protected during his title reign.

“You know, what I will bring if I become the champion is the UFC will have a champion that doesn’t need to be protected.” Magomed Anaklaev stated to Ag Fight earlier this week discussing his title fight against Alex Pereira. “It’s not going to be somebody who picks his opponents. It’s going to be somebody who is going to be accepting all the fights, all the opponents, anywhere, anyplace, anytime.”

RELATED: ISRAEL ADESANYA OFFERS PREDICTION FOR ALEX PEREIRA VS. MAGOMED ANKALAEV: “HE’LL HAVE TO CATCH HIM”

Magomed Ankalaev believes the UFC has been picking opponents for Alex Pereira that are good matchups for him 😬

“If I get to be the champion, the UFC will get a champ that doesn’t need to be protected.”

🎥 @AgFight #UFC313pic.twitter.com/QgtAotaOXs

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 6, 2025

Magomed Ankalaev takes aim at Alex Pereira ahead of UFC 313 main event

He continued, “I don’t know if he’s picking his opponents specifically. But I think the UFC picks the opponents that are a good [style matchup] for him.”

For what it’s worth, Magomed Ankalaev is not the only one to believe the UFC could be protecting Alex Pereira. Color commentator Daniel Cormier speculated that the promotion could be doing exactly that back in August.

“So maybe [Magomed Ankalaev will be next] for Alex Pereira, but I’m very rarely surprised when fights get announced. But I remember sitting in Manchester and they said UFC 308, and when I saw Rakic taking on Ankalaev, my jaw dropped. I was like, they actually did it. Like sometimes you got to protect that golden goose a little bit, and that’s kind of what it feels like.”

What do you make of these comments from the UFC light-heavyweight? Do you think Magomed Anaklaev will beat Alex Pereira on Saturday?