For months, Magomed Ankalaev has been relentlessly attacking Alex Pereira in pursuit of a title clash. Now that the Dagestani has the opportunity to claim the belt, he may have made a slight mistake by invoking Pereira’s past traumas in the buildup to the fight. At the UFC 313 press conference, a fan attempted to mock Pereira by asking Ankalaev whether he would send ‘Poatan’ back to the tire shop after defeating him. As Ankalaev laughed, Pereira’s expression was chilling—his intense gaze fixed directly on the crowd. With just hours remaining for the clash, Pereira has one last message for the Dagestani.

The press conference turned out to be a success for the UFC as they literally pressed the killswitch of Pereira. However, at the ceremonial weigh-ins, Poatan remained focused as ever, donning his signature Amazonian headdress. When Joe Rogan asked the light-heavyweight champ to speak something, Pereira’s message who short, clear, and bone-chilling, “I think this is a great challenge. We’re talking about an athlete who has been doing his work, but this is my time. Chama.”

At Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins, Poatan remained as focused as ever, donning his signature ceremonial headdress and issuing a final warning to Ankalaev following their intense staredown. This will be Pereira’s fifth title defense within the light-heavyweight division and sixth within the UFC. ‘Poatan’s resume speaks volumes while Ankalaev’s lacks depth.

Has the Dagestani made a mistake by challenging Pereira’s past and alcoholism? While having a conversation with Daniel Cormier, Alex Pereira ascertained that he was unaffected by every slur that Ankalaev threw at him except the alcohol one, “I know that he’s been talking a lot. The only thing I took personally, was that he was talking about alcoholism because that’s not only offending me but my family. Ankalaev said I was just going to UFC events to get drunk and get clout. I took that personally because I beat alcoholism; it’s a win in life.”

In anticipation of making the fight more enticing, Ankalaev appeared to have crossed a line that might affect him on the fateful day. Interestingly, middleweight prospect Caio Borralho has come forward to drop a bombshell for Magomed Ankalaev.

Caio Borralho reveals Magomed Ankalaev should remain vigilant of Alex Pereira

Magomed Ankalaev will be trying to claim the belt for the second time in his UFC career as his first endeavor against the former light-heavyweight champ, Jan Blachowicz ended in a draw. Regardless, as the Russian prepares to take on the Brazilian stalwart, middleweight contender, Caio Borralho has come forward to drop a bombshell on him.

While having a conversation with the media, the ‘Fighting Nerds’ star asserted that when he trained with Alex Pereira, he was surprised by the fact that his grappling was on point, “We did some grappling training and he’s really evolved in that area. That surprised me a lot. He knows what he’s doing, he knows the dangers and knows how to defend. With his strength, his size, it’s hard to train with him—even jiu-jitsu, wrestling, wall, whatever it is. He’s a very competitive guy and he knows how to train and teach. It was such a great exchange with the team not only for me and Pablo [Sucupira], but I believe it was good for him, too.”

Borralho highlighted that he learned some striking techniques from the former middleweight champ and in return he asked his coach Pablo Sucupira train ‘Poatan’ for a few rounds in the gym. With multiple years of experience and a resume behind his back, Alex Pereira will be stepping inside the Octagon with a single intent to win, will he be able to successfully defend his title for the fifth time or we will witness a new champion? State your thoughts in the comments below.