After losing its light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 313, one of the biggest stars in the sport must go back to the drawing board.
Some wondered if the lifestyle of Alex Pereira and plans damaged his chances on 8 March, where he suffered a defeat from Magomed Ankalaev.
It seems that the former champion gets the chance to correct any errors with a rematch between Pereira and Ankalaev that is pronounced in the immediate aftermath
While contenders such as Jan Bachowicz may have something to say about that, 'Patan' probably deserved that opportunity after his incredible campaign of 2024.
Many fans and fellow hunters were surprised by the performance of the Brazilian, together with the prizes of the efforts of the new title holder.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Adriano Moraes says that Alex Pereira had a bad night in the office, but that he had to throw more
In a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, Adriano Moraes of Brazil gave his opinion about the main event of the performance of UFC 313 and Alex Pereira.
The former world champion with several times will compete for the vacant flight weight gold on a 172 when he is opposite Yuya Wakamatsu in a rematch in Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
'Mikinho' was coordinated on March 8 and weighed in with his view of the fight that many expected to be Pereira's most difficult test for slightly heavyweight.
“Sometimes you have bad times in the office. It is not every time you are going to give our best performance and unfortunately it happened to Alex Pereira. That was not his night. Unfortunately I think many things he really didn't want to do that night, but he is still one of the great ones.”
Moraes further explained where he believes that the champion went wrong in his fourth defense of the title of 205 pounds.
Many pointed out that although Magomed Ankalaev earns the credit to a certain extent, it was an unusual tame performance from Pereira where he threw relatively little.
While 'Patan' has never been a hunter who claws high levels of output, Moraes believes that he had to throw more to prevent his opponent from dictating the fight.
“If I was in his corner, I would just talk to him to keep his combinations more active because he is so good, I don't think Ankalaev would support his pressure, but unfortunately he let Ankalaev play his game and that was it.”
Alex Pereira may have underestimated the striking of Magomed Ankalaev
For many fans, the predicting of the UFC 313 main event came down whether Magomed Ankalaev would try to struggle or strike with Alex Pereira.
'Patan' was able to successfully defend the Takedown attempts of his challenger, but that did not stop him from losing the fight through the score cards.
Pereira may have to be too focused on the wrestling, which meant that he did not see his usual self while he was standing by the Russian.
On the other hand, there are two sides on each coin and Ankalaev not only looked sharp, he also fought smartly, allowing him to deny part of the most dangerous weapons of his opponent.
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