When it comes to champions, Alex Pereira’s name is written in golden letters as one of the best to ever embrace the Octagon. Last year was a phenomenal “fire fest” for the light-heavyweight champion, as he defended his championship belt back-to-back, even breaking Ronda Rousey’s record. However, his next title defense could be his toughest yet, as he will be sharing the stage with Magomed Ankalaev. However, ‘Poatan’ appears to be taking his next challenge a bit lightly as he has decided to corner Sean Strickland in his clash against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312, and according to Daniel Cormier, this might be a risky move for Pereira.

While having a conversation with his audience on his YouTube handle, Daniel Cormier emphasized that Alex Pereira’s decision to corner Sean Strickland all the way in Australia might backfire against him as he is going to defend his belt at UFC 313, “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.”

Magomed Ankalaev has been riding an 11-fight winning streak, defeating opponents across the board. His wrestling is his greatest strength, but defeating Alex Pereira is a monumental task. Regardless, Daniel Cormier emphasized that Ankalaev has what it takes to pull Pereira down and keep him there, thus limiting his striking abilities. If we were to analyze most of Pereira’s fights, we could witness that the light-heavyweight champion seldom takes the match to the ground as he likes to fight on his feet and this might be a worry for ‘Poatan.’

Cormier further added, “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 Ania has that ability to take him down and hold him down.” 

Well, Daniel Cormier did have his opinions but what about Alex Pereira? What does the UFC light-heavyweight champion think about his opponent? Let’s find out.

Alex Pereira promises to make a fool out of Magomed Ankalaev

Magomed Ankalaev emphasized that he would be fighting Alex Pereira on his feet and would not attempt any takedowns. This promise has caught the attention of the entire MMA community, with many advising the contender not to take such a risk against Pereira, who is already a dangerous fighter. Well, in his most recent conversation, ‘Poatan’ has come forward to state that he will make a joke out of Ankalaev if he doesn’t stand by 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,” said Alex Pereira in his conversation with Ariel Helwani. Imagine being defeated by one of the best within the division and he takes the opportunity to laugh at you, that’s exactly what the UFC champ is planning to do.

Their anticipated clash will finally take place at UFC 313 at the T-Mobile Arena In Las Vegas, Nevada On March 8, 2025. Who do you think will be holding the belt at the end? State your picks in the comments below.