"Things Have Changed" – Magomed Ankalaev Switched Stances, Will Wrestle Alex Pereira at UFC 313
03/06/2025 07:18 PM
Contrary to what he’s said in the past, Magomed Ankalaev has every intention of trying to wrestle Alex Pereira.
Three years removed from his first shot at light heavyweight gold, Ankalaev steps back into the main event spotlight at UFC 313 in Las Vegas with dreams of leaving ‘Sin City’ as a world champion. Standing in his way will be Pereira, a man who laid waste to everyone who’s dared challenge him for his 205-pound crown.
But unlike Pereira’s previous opponents, Ankalaev has a very particular set of skills that could prove to be a nightmare for ‘Poatan.’ The only question is, will Ankalaev use it?
Yes. Yes, he will.
Previously, Ankalaev boldly claimed that he would be willing to stand and trade with the former two-division GLORY Kickboxing champion. However, the Dagestani has since reversed courses, making it clear that as soon as he sees an opportunity to do so, he’s going to shoot on the Brazilian boogeyman.
“That was the initial tweet when Alex won the belt,” Ankalaev said in an interview with ESPN MMA. “Teixeira tweeted something, and then we tweeted don’t worry about the wrestling. But things have changed a lot since then. He kinda forgot about my name. Now, we said that Glover’s wrestling is not going to help him.”
Magomed Ankalaev ready to challenge ‘Poatan’ like nobody else has before
While Ankalaev’s grappling skills are undeniable, he often chooses to stand up with his opponents, as evidenced by his paltry average of 0.92 takedowns per 15 minutes. He also has zero wins by submission throughout his entire mixed martial arts career, but that could very well change this Saturday should he succeed in muscling Pereira down to the mat.
For Pereira, it will be his fourth time defending the light heavyweight title. Last year, ‘Poatan’ scored KOs against Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree Jr. all in defense of his 205-pound crown.
As it stands, Pereira vs. Ankalaev is a pick’em with DraftKings sportsbook having both fighters listed as at -110. With the way things are trending, there’s a good chance that ‘Poatan’ could be a full-fledged underdog come fight night.
