Reigning UFC light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, is just over two weeks away from his 205-pound title defense against No. 1-ranked contender, Magomed Ankalaev. To help prepare for what could be his toughest test to date, “Poatan” is training with newly-signed GFL welterweight and part-time boxer, Dillon Danis.
MMA fans were not impressed.
Social media reactions were generally negative, with several fans picking Ankalaev for the win based on Pereira’s training regimen. The challenger was already a sizable betting favorite heading into the UFC 313 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, scheduled for Sat., March 8, 2025 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“[Pereira] was seen in Australia last week still, and he was shaking the hand of Drake as Drake went on stage for his concert,” former UFC heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier, said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Chael Sonnen. “One, Drake constantly loses millions of dollars betting on people, so you kind of don’t want Drake to bet on you because he doesn’t have the greatest track record for winning. But what is Pereira still doing in Australia? He fights in two weeks! Ankalaev’s already here, he’s in Vegas, I ran into him at the UFC PI last week. He is honestly so locked in, ready to win this fight against Alex Pereira.”
Ankalaev has been critical of Pereira’s title reign ever since the promotion passed him over in favor of more style-friendly opponents, like Jamahal Hill and Rountree Jr. — two strikers by trade. Ankalaev, however, is partly to blame for his second-rate matchmaking and will have a lot of talk to back up at UFC 313.
For much more on the upcoming UFC 313 PPV event click here.