MMA Fans React To Pereira’s ‘Injury’ – ‘Excuses’
MMA fans have reacted after Alex Pereira said he was injured in his fight against Magomed Ankalaev.
Ankalaev gave Alex his first loss at the weight class, which ended his record of five wins in a row. The fight did not play out as many had expected. Ankalaev managed to outwork Pereira and even landed more shots than the Brazilian. Alex’s striking prowess was not on show, with many praising Ankalaev for what he managed to do. Anakalaev’s team even said that Pereira may allegedly have had grease on his body to make grappling much more difficult, something which is against the rules. However, it appears that Pereira was not at his best. Joe Rogan revealed that the Brazilian had an injury, as Alex gave his account of the matter.
Pereira’s Injury
“They say he fought with a broken hand and norovirus against Ankalaev. [Alex Pereira] fought with a broken toe before. When he beat Jiri Prochazka, he had a f—ed up knee … He was basically fighting on one leg in the first fight… They’re gonna run it back, I’m sure. They have to. That’s the big fight in that division. And if Pereira can come in healthy, [it’ll be big],” Rogan stated
“I am not trying to take credit away from [Magomed] Ankalaev. Many people try to do that type of thing, and I’m not this type of guy. Everybody goes through problems, and I’m sure he had his own problems too. I had mine, my hand is fine, but it did affect things. I’m not trying to make an excuse. I don’t want to make excuses, I don’t want to use this as leverage for anything. My moment is going to come to win the belt, and then I’ll disclose everything for you guys. Yes, [I considered not fighting at UFC 313]. It was one of the more complicated camps from everything that happened,” Pereira said
Implications
The loss was devastating for various reasons. Pereira had been targeting a possible fight against UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. Pereira has already won titles at middleweight and light heavyweight, as he was chasing a potential historic third belt. Jones was even open to the idea of facing him, as he was clear that a Pereira fight was much bigger globally than facing Tom Aspinall.
Aspinall had even stated that he would welcome Pereira if the Brazilian decided to move up in weight. Pereira even mentioned the idea of entering into a boxing clash. Reports indicated he wanted to face the former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Usyk was open to the idea of making the fight, as it could have been one of the most lucrative bouts in recent memory. This created the narrative that perhaps Pereira was overlooking Ankalaev. He is expected to have a rematch with him, meaning the pressure is on Alex to perform to dispel those claims that he made about his injury.
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