Pereira Vs. Ankalaev Predictions – ‘He’s Going To Lose’

Alex Pereira faces Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 on March 8, as MMA insiders gave their predictions. 

Pereira arrives into the fight as the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He knocked out Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 in his last fight to retain the title. He was linked with a move up to heavyweight to face Jon Jones. That would have given him the chance to become a three-weight world champion. But it also led to accusations that he was ducking Ankalaev. The latter is seen as the biggest threat to Pereira’s reign. He is undefeated in 13 fights, with 11 wins, a draw, and one no-contest. He arrives into the bout with a win against Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308. Alex has offered a bet where the loser will donate $200,000 to a charity. 

“I’m betting $200,000 to donate to children in need, children with cancer. Many people are in need of this help. Since Ali and Ankalaev seem to be 100 percent confident that they’ll beat me, I think they will accept this challenge. Let’s see if they really accept this challenge because the are 100 percent sure they will win, they gotta bet. They have to,” Pereira said 

Here is how the pros saw the fight playing out. 

Pereira Vs. Ankalaev

“If Ankalaev fights, he’s going to lose. He needs to do more. He’s a good fighter, but that style won’t work against Pereira. He has to believe in what he’s doing, not just fight carefully to avoid punches,” Jan Blachowicz

“You gotta go with Pereira.Pereira is so dominant. He beats guys before they even step in there. You saw it against Jiri Procházka,” Stephen Thompson  

“Until I see someone figure out how to handle his power and pressure, I’m not betting against him. Seeing Pereira up close changed my perspective. He’s got that thing where it doesn’t always look pretty, but it works. He’s keeping that title,” John Wood

“I like Pereira. Hopefully, he gets it done,” Kody Steele 

More Predictions

“That one’s risky. If Ankalaev tries to strike with Pereira, it could be a bad night for him. But if he wrestles, zaps his arms, and forces him to work, he could win. Still, I’m pushing for Pereira. I think it depends on Ankalaev’s game plan. Pereira’s fists are massive—one shot can change everything. I think Pereira wins,” Tim Welch

“I’m going with Pereira. Ankalaev could win with wrestling, but I wasn’t impressed with him against Jan Błachowicz. If he takes Pereira down and rides him out, sure, but I’m picking Pereira,” Grant Dawson

“I stopped going against Pereira a long time ago. He can beat anybody—wrestler or striker. It’s hard to bet against him,” Eddie Cha

“Ankalaev can win easily if he wrestles, but he said he’s going for the knockout, which doesn’t give me much hope. If he grapples, he wins. If Ankalaev strikes with Pereira, he’ll get knocked out,” Andre Petroski

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