The countdown to UFC 320 carries more weight than just a title storyline. Alex Pereira enters his rematch with Magomed Ankalaev not only looking to reclaim his belt but also to prove that the version fans witnessed in March was not the real him. His performance at UFC 313 raised eyebrows, but it looks like that loss was the result of age catching up to him.

He is 38 now. For a while, he has known that age wasn’t exactly on his side. That’s the reason he fought three times in 2023 and repeated the same pattern a year later. During this period, he was one of the most active fighters, even bailing out the UFC after accepting some short-notice fights. But after this year’s loss to Ankalaev, he understood he needed to slow down.

“That’s how I have always been,” Pereira told ESPN MMA via his translator. “I have always been non-stop. Ever since I was younger, I have been working. I have never been unemployed. I have always been doing something. And I just felt like I needed to stay active. I needed to just continue working. But it was a cumulative effect. A lot of things started adding up.

“My body started feeling it. I started aging. And maybe these seven months between these two fights was the best thing I needed to do.”

Speaking about his UFC 313 fight against Ankalaev, Pereira revealed how he wasn’t really himself going into that fight. “I definitely felt different in that fight from any other fight,” the Brazilian shared. Perhaps what Joe Rogan said months ago had some truth to it.

The UFC commentator had revealed in March that Pereira fought Ankalaev with a broken hand and norovirus. ‘Poatan’ also confirmed this in a conversation with reporter Ariel Helwani, after hinting that his health was compromised at the time. And believe it or not, UFC 307 was a similar case for him.

Pereira entered the fight against Khalil Rountree after overcoming a number of health concerns: he had a fever, a bad throat, and had also hurt his rib. A lingering ligament issue in his toe was also causing him problems. Regardless, Pereira won that bout through TKO.

The good news now is that he feels great going into UFC 320. “I had a great training camp, stayed in the US, focused and no more trips. Yeah, I can compare to this fight and I feel amazing.”

The fighter is taking care of himself, and as a part of that, he also won’t remain as active as he used to be. He confessed it earlier this month in a conversation with ‘MMA Junkie’. He believed that if he had planned things better, he wouldn’t have fought every few months. However, that is not to say that he will leave out any exciting future opportunities.

Will Alex Pereira crush Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320?

Alex Pereira’s rematch with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320 has the MMA world on edge, and other fighters aren’t holding back their thoughts. He may have been compromised in their previous bout, but the upcoming one seems promising. Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson will tell you all about it.

Thompson, a striking specialist and expert fight analyst, feels Pereira’s previous constant activity wore him out. That’s an assessment that Pereira would agree with.

“You need to give your body time to heal, and I think it’s going to be all Alex this time. I think he’s going to go out there and he’s gonna crush him,” Thompson added. And that’s exactly what the Brazilian has been doing. UFC 313 was in March. So, Pereira will be entering the octagon after seven months. Sure, there are fighters who compete just once a year, but even twice a year is a step back for ‘Poatan’.

Do you think Alex Pereira will win against Magomed Ankalaev? Let us know in the comments below.