The Rematch of UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira
Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira are set to face each other again after Pereira suffered a unanimous decision loss to Magomed at UFC 313. Since March of this year, the defeat could have hung heavy on his shoulders, but he seems eager to put a stop to Magomed’s developing streak over him. It will be challenging, but Alex has gone the full five rounds before with Magomed. Magomed could take the advantage, though, and have an explosive beginning like he did in his first round against Alex with crushing knees to the body. Largely, though, if Alex wants to disrupt and get more of a lead over Magomed in the beginning three rounds, he will have to be more of an aggressor.
Magomed has experience overall too in sheer fights alone with a record of 21-1-1 versus Pereira’s 12-3-0 record. It should be noted that Pereira and Ankalaev have similar defense, and Alex was even able to hold off much of Magomed’s takedown attempts in their last fight. However, if Alex can offset Magomed at the beginning and hold off any takedowns, he could put Magomed down the path of Charles Oliveira. Age, though, is against Pereira, it seems, as he is actually five years older than Magomed. Plus, he was taking significant hits while waiting for opportune moments to strike Magomed in their last matchup. He did put a few on Ankalaev, but ultimately, his caution was his undoing by not showing enough dominance and having enough strikes land on Magomed. The “Poatan” may be a headhunter in his overall strike percentage, but depending on whether those strikes connect, it could hurt Magomed in the rematch, especially if there is no takedown strategy.
Altogether, it will be as close a fight as their last match was, but Magomed more than likely will seek to end this rematch early, as he typically finishes his matches sooner than Alex. In fact, with his ground and clinching being so well-rounded, Magomed may capitalize on those aspects this time around and seek a submission by the second round. He does have the energy to go all five rounds. Yet, between the two, Magomed can throw more strikes so far on the ground versus Alex, whose ground game hasn’t quite reached the current Light Heavyweight Champion, that is, Magomed Ankalaev.
