Alex Pereira Reveals Physical Condition in His First Encounter with Ankalaev
Former UFC champion Alex Pereira has confessed that he competed at “40 percent” of his capacity in his fight against Magomed Ankalaev, where he lost the light heavyweight title earlier this year. Pereira (12-3) is preparing for his rematch against Ankalaev (21-1-1) at UFC 320, scheduled for October 4th in Las Vegas. In their first encounter in March, Ankalaev took the victory by unanimous decision after five rounds. After the initial fight, rumors surfaced about Pereira’s physical condition, with comments suggesting a hand injury. The fighter admitted to having problems during the fight, although he did not specify details. A week before the rematch, Pereira has confirmed that he was not in his best shape.Pereira, 38, is known for competing despite injuries. In April 2024, he agreed to fight in the main event of UFC 300 against Jamahal Hill with a broken toe. The injury worsened two months later in a title defense against Jiří Prochazka at UFC 303. The tension between Pereira and Ankalaev, 33, has been increasing in the last weeks before the rematch. Both met at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, where Pereira accused Ankalaev of speaking ill of him online and avoiding him in person. Ankalaev, for his part, has expressed that he has lost respect for the former champion. In their first encounter, Ankalaev was declared the winner by unanimous decision of the judges.“I think the conditioning I came into that fight with, honestly, was about 40 percent,” Pereira stated through an interpreter. “This time I’ll be much better. Even if I get to 50 percent in the rematch, that 10 percent will make a big difference. I won’t leave any doubts for anyone.”
Alex Pereira
