Magomed Ankalaev sits at the top of the light heavyweight division in the UFC after toppling the biggest star in the promotion, Alex Pereira, at UFC 313. He dominated ‘Poatan’ at his own game, which is striking. So, people could be wondering what it would take for Pereira to avoid yet another lopsided loss. Well, the Brazilian star is in luck because Ankalaev’s former rival has weighed in on their UFC 320 headlining fight.

#12-ranked Johnny Walker, who recently defeated Zhang Mingyang at UFC Shanghai, weighed in on Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev. He’s shared the Octagon twice against the reigning light heavyweight champion, and he seems to have a pretty good idea about his skills. Pereira might want to hear what Walker has to say because he’s got a tip for the rematch as well.

Alex Pereira needs to show aggression against Magomed Ankalaev, Johnny Walker advises

Some people believe that being from Dagestan means you’re an excellent grappler-cum-wrestler. But that’s far from the truth because, just like Sharaputdin Magomedov, Magomed Ankalaev is also a striker, according to Johnny Walker, similar to Alex Pereira. “Both guys, they are very experienced. They both are strikers, right? Ankalaev is a striker, too,” he told The Schmo. Walker further mentioned how methodical Ankalaev is with his approach, but Alex Pereira could capitalize on that by showing more aggression and putting more pressure on the champion, even though both fighters tend to take a safer route in their fights.

“I believe Ankalaev [is] very smart, right? And he takes his time. He never rush, and he built his winning [streak] by step-by-step, you know. I believe that if Pereira, like, put [a] little bit more, be a little bit more aggressive. [That’s] because Pereira also, he doesn’t come like rushing people,” Johnny Walker added. “I think the difference [of] that fight [about] who’s going to have more advantage [depends on] who takes more risk… Both guys are very safe.”

Meanwhile, Johnny Walker suspects that the rematch could end the same way the first one did, especially because of the “safe” approach from Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira. Hence, he’s encouraged both of them to go for the kill, given that it’s a title fight headliner at UFC 320. “They are deadly, you know, but they’re both very safe, and if both keep safe, he’s going to go for the points again,” he added.

We still have over a week to go for UFC 320, so we’ll see how things pan out. In the meantime, Alex Pereira appears to have raised the temperature in his rivalry with Magomed Ankalaev, trashing his status as the champion. Here’s what he had to say.

Pereira questions Ankalaev’s championship status

There is absolutely no love lost between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev. Their beef started months before they fought at UFC 313, as the Dagestan native called him out for avoiding him. In a video he posted on his YouTube channel, ‘Poatan’ said that all Ankalaev does is talk “nonsense.” He was also not happy about the fact that he was champion because he claims that the Dagestan native went into hiding when he was at the UFC PI.

“What kind of champion is that man? A s–t champion. I know that’s harsh, but he’s a s—-y champion, man. A guy like that,” said Alex Pereira, as noted by MMA Junkie. “And you know why? Not because of what he says, but hiding in a room today. He’s shown he’s a coward, man. We’ll see. Hiding now. We’ll be in the cage, locked in there. Unless he jumps the fence. He’s a s—-y champion, this guy.”

The anticipation among us is growing as we approach the rematch at UFC 320. Will it be Magomed Ankalaev again, or will Alex Pereira reclaim his 205-pound gold? Those answers will be revealed soon as we wait to see who turns up at the afterparty, announced by the promotion. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.