Magomed Ankalaev Put on Notice as Jon Jones’ Ex-Opponent Issues Dire Warning Ahead of Alex Pereira Rematch

When Alex Pereira had his first title shot in the UFC, it was against his biggest career rival, Israel Adesanya, as their rivalry dated back to their days in Glory Kickboxing. Fans remember ‘Poatan’ winning, but what they may not remember is that the Brazilian star had a former light heavyweight title contender, Dominick Reyes, helping him train for the fight at UFC 281, which worked out well in his favor.

The only fighter to bring Jon Jones to the brink of losing, Dominick Reyes, has always spoken highly of Alex Pereira, and vice versa. But the situation has changed as both of them are now rivals in the 205-pound division, and they don’t really train together anymore. Despite the possibility of the duo butting heads in the future, Reyes still has a healthy amount of respect for Pereira and recently backed him to make good in the rematch against Magomed Ankalaev.

‘The Devastator’ mentioned how busy 2024 was for Alex Pereira, who fought three times between April and November. He insinuated that the quick turnarounds may have affected ‘Poatan’, as he seemed clueless in his first fight against Magomed Ankalaev. Hence, Dominick Reyes believes that the resting time after UFC 313 could work for Pereira in regaining his 100 percent and improving his game, as he feels certain that the rematch against Ankalaev will be a different encounter.

“I think it will be different in the sense that Alex actually had time off, and he’s had time to like better prepare, I guess you could say…. He fought like four times in a year, the year before that or something,” Dominick Reyes told Submission Radio in a recent interview. “I think him losing that fight made him have to dig in more. So, I think it will be a different fight. Alex has worked extremely hard, and he’s very focused.”

Alex Pereira may have to dig deep to beat Magomedov Ankalaev, who outclassed him at UFC 313, and that too, in his own game. The Dagestan native has remained unbeaten since 2018 and waited a long time to get his hands on a title shot because of claims that his fighting style was ‘boring’. Now that he has the belt, Ankalaev will surely try everything in his power to hold on to it. Meanwhile, Pereira could be heading into the UFC 320 rematch with a lot of confidence, and one of those reasons includes receiving praise from a boxing icon.

Teddy Atlas shared words of praise for Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira’s unbeaten run as a 205er might have ended at UFC 313, but that doesn’t mean he cannot bounce back. He’s done it before after dropping the middleweight title, so maybe he will do it again. Win or lose, nothing can undermine the fact that Pereira has been impressive in his UFC run, and it seems like his technique has made veteran boxing coach Teddy Atlas a fan.

“I think that [Alex] Pereira has the best left hook [in the UFC]. He has a good left hook, whether it’s a counter left hook or a lead left hook,” Teddy Atlas told MMA Knockout in a recent interview. “It is short, it is powerful, it is accurate, it is beautiful. Pereira’s got as good a left hook as you can ever see.”

Well, receiving praise from an icon as big as Teddy Atlas will surely add to Alex Pereira’s confidence ahead of his rematch against Magomed Ankalaev. There’s no doubt that this fight has a lot on the line for ‘Poatan’, as he’s one of the biggest stars in the promotion. Things look promising, as he shared a training update recently. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.