“Brazil, sorry for what I’m gonna do to your boy,” declared Magomed Ankalaev ahead of his impending clash against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira at UFC 313. The Dagestani powerhouse has climbed the UFC ranks with an impressive 11-fight unbeaten streak, finally earning his shot at gold against the promotion’s most lethal striker. Despite Ankalaev’s imposing presence and relentless rise, ‘Poatan’ remains completely unfazed ahead of his fourth title defense.

The champion recently traveled to Australia to corner Sean Strickland for UFC 312, a decision that has irritated the Russian contender, adding another layer of tension to an already high-stakes showdown. The Dagestani contender seems to have had enough of Pereira’s antics—and who could blame him? The 205lbs god-king appears dead set on downplaying Ankalaev’s threat, showing little regard for the challenger ahead of their title fight.

Frustrated by the champion’s alleged lack of focus, the 20-1 Ankalaev took to his X handle after UFC 312 to humorously call out Pereira for cornering Strickland instead of dedicating himself to training for their highly anticipated showdown next month. “I never wanna hurt someone in my life like I want to hurt Alex. He is a fake humble boy.”

Ankalaev followed with yet another chilling threat, “@AlexPereiraUFC this guy keep traveling and he forgets he will be fighting for his life on March 8. He will never be the same after this fight @danawhitemark my word.”

As if that weren’t enough, Ankalaev further emphasized that he has been spending time in the Dagestani mountains, chopping wood and swimming in a freezing lake, while Pereira is merely enjoying himself with friends on TikTok, “I’ve been climbing mountain chopping, wood, swimming, in freezing lake and Alex has been dancing and making a video like TikTok chick.”

For the uninitiated, Pereira defended his strap on three separate occasions last year and sees Ankalaev as just another guy who wants his gold. The Brazilian told ESPN last month, “Looking at him [Ankalaev], the way that he fights, he’s an ordinary guy. Of course, he has his weapons, he has his dangers, but I’ve been training hard. I’ve evolved a lot, and I’m ready for him.”

However, for the Dagestani, this fight means everything. Interestingly, Pereira has warned Ankalaev to stand firm on his words, “If [Ankalaev] doesn’t back up what he says, people have already seen me making fun of my other opponents. Sometimes I joke and stuff, but this is the guy I’m really going to make fun of.” However, not everyone agrees with the champ’s viewpoint. The Russian might be a serious threat as a former light-heavyweight champion has warned Pereira.

Daniel Cormier alerts Alex Pereira for cornering Sean Strickland ahead of UFC 313

While having a conversation with fans on his YouTube handle, analyst and former double champ Daniel Cormier asserted that Pereira’s decision to corner Sean Strickland at UFC 312 might backfire on him. This is because he will be defending his title for the fourth time at UFC 313 next month in Las Vegas.

DC said, “Pereira feels that his relationship with Strickland is so strong that he’s willing to travel across the world to corner him. To me, it seems dangerous; it seems risky for Alex to go all the way to Australia, knowing everything that goes into a training camp and how hard that travel can be on your body when you’re preparing to defend your world championship.”

Ankalaev presents a unique challenge for Pereira, given his well-rounded skill set as a wrestler who can also strike. Cormier believes Ankalaev has the tools to pull off what some would consider a miracle—defeating Pereira. “When you look at Ankalaev and the way those guys have been going back and forth when you look at the fighting style or the ability, it all boils down to this: Alex Pereira could beat up Ania’s legs, as we saw Jan Błachowicz do, and him look like he could not stand. But Anka has that ability to take him down and hold him down.” Cormier explained.

‘The Russian Terror’ enters this fight riding an 11-fight unbeaten streak and hasn’t tasted defeat since 2018. However, while he brings a grappling threat, he may lack the elite precision striking of Pereira—the man who has made a habit of putting opponents to sleep. In fact, ‘Poatan’ will be coming into this fight securing brutal finishes in his last three outings by knockout, further solidifying his reputation as one of the most feared strikers in the sport.

Will Ankalaev’s wrestling be enough to neutralize Pereira’s power, or will the champion’s striking prove too much once again? Share your thoughts in the comments below!