Off the back of his stunning knockout win at UFC 307, Alex Pereira has a massive task ahead of him in the form of Magomed Ankalaev, according to Dominance MMA leader, Ali Abdelaziz — who is picking the Russian to dethrone the former with a vicious knockout of his own.
Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight gold holder, managed to turn in his third successful defense of the light heavyweight crown over the weekend at UFC 307, stopping challenger, Khalil Rountree with a brutal fourth round barrage against the fence — having bloodied and battered the chaser throughout the frame.
And with the victory, Sao Paulo star, Alex Pereira managed to turn in his third consecutive successful 205 pound title defense in just seven months, adding to prior knockout wins over both former champions, Jiri Prochazka, and Jamahal Hill at UFC 303 and UFC 300 earlier this annum, respectively.
Knockout in store for Alex Pereira against Magomedov Ankalaev according to Ali Abdelaziz
Weighing up a potential heavyweight move in the near future once more off the back of his latest title defense, Brazilian fan-favorite, Pereira has also been linked with an eventual pairing with surging challenger, Ankalaev — whom the above-mentioned, Abdelaziz claims will stop the former with a deadly finish.
“I didn’t know too much about Khalil (Rountree),” Ali Abdelaziz told Submission Radio. “I think he was a 50-50 double fighter. Yesterday I became a fan of Khalil Rountree for life. Khalil Rountree dropped (Alex) Pereira two times. I believe (Magomed) Ankalaev has way more precision [in striking], he’s way smarter than both of them.”
“I believe Alex Pereira’s chin is a little bit better at light heavyweight [than at middleweight],” Abdelaziz explained. “But the man has been in so many wars and I believe his chin is not there [anymore]. It’s normal. It’s not a knock on him. I don’t think his chin is there 100 percent.”