Alex Pereira says he made Magomed Ankalaev title shot happen: 'That's the guy I want to fight'
As successful as Alex Pereira has been since his takeover of the UFC's light heavyweight division, there's still one notable test he has yet to face.
That would be 205-pound contender Magomed Ankalaev, who's slated to get his shot at Pereira's title at UFC 313 on March 8 in Las Vegas. It's a fight Ankalaev has been campaigning for, and one that promises to present some fresh stylistic challenges for the light heavyweight champion Pereira.
But if it feels the title fight was slow to materialize, Pereira said, it wasn't through any doing of his own.
"I called my managers and said, 'Look, get me a fight next month, whatever the case may be, and I want to fight Ankalaev,'" Pereira said through a translator on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show."
"They made this fight happen, and [I am] training hard. Ankalev and his people say some stuff here and there, but at the end of the day, I've watched his training, I've watched him fight. I respect the man as an athlete, and I'm getting ready."
Before Pereira lost his 185-pound title and made the move up in weight in 2023, the 205-pound belt was a hot potato passed around among several different owners. Injuries to multiple champions ultimately left UFC 282 as the stage for a vacant title bout pitting Ankalaev against former champ Jan Blachowicz.
Ankalaev and Blachowicz fought to a majority draw, and neither has sniffed the title since. Afterward, Blachowicz welcomed Pereira to the light heavyweight division in a split decision loss, while Ankalaev climbed back into the win column with victories over Johnny Walker and Aleksandar Rakic.
Pereira, 37, has earned his many MMA accolades almost entirely with his striking. Of his light heavyweight matchups thus far, Blachowicz proved the toughest for Pereira — the former champ utilizing his grappling and takedowns to force a close contest against the decorated Brazilian.
Because of his perceived ability to implement a similar game plan, Ankalaev has been hailed as a stylistic nightmare for Pereira. Oddsmakers have agreed, opening with Pereira as the betting underdog.
"I don't care," Pereira said of the odds. "I always keep doing my job. Guys can say you're the underdog, not the underdog — I couldn't care less how much is going to be on the odds. So I just do my job.
"It's hard to predict how the fight's going to go. I cannot predict [it]. I just know that I'm living my best moments, I'm in my prime, and when they book this fight, Ankalaev was [the] No. 2 [option]. 'OK, but there's this guy ahead. I'll choose Ankalaev because that's the guy I want to fight.' I'm living my best moment right now."
The division has continued to fluctuate while Pereira awaits his battle with Ankalaev. Most recently, Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill — both former champions who suffered knockout losses against Pereira — squared off at UFC 311 in early January, with Prochazka winning via highlight-reel knockout.
Pereira has already beaten Prochazka twice, winning both fights with emphatic knockouts. Prochazka used his post-fight interview at UFC 311 to ask for a third shot at the champion, which Pereira said he remains open to in the future.
"I'll fight him, I'll fight Jamahal, I'll fight anybody," Pereira said. "I'll fight the guy three times, five times, 10 times, it doesn't matter. [If] people want to see the guy, I want to fight. I'll fight [him]."
On the other side, Hill has been more hostile towards Pereira since they first met in the main event of UFC 300 last April.
Hill has a reputation as a brash and outspoken fighter, regardless of the opponent. Although Pereira had a memorable encounter with him at the UFC Performance Institute shortly before Hill's latest loss, the champion insisted he took no pleasure in Hill's recent downfall.
"I was not happy to see him lose," Pereira said. "I actually saw that Jamahal had more power than [Prochazka] in the fight. He was able to connect more punches in a different way. I was just watching the fight like it was any other fight. If I could choose the way that the fight would finish, it would be by decision.
"Honestly, he actually seemed to be a nice guy. He talks because he's got to sell the fights, he's got to do his stuff. Because honestly, I think if he didn't talk that much, I don't think he would be where he's at."
Pereira's bout against Ankalaev will be his fourth title defense at light heavyweight. After that, "Poatan" might be on to bigger things — possibly in a literal sense at heavyweight.