Alex Pereira gets hard-hitting reminder about allegedly avoiding Magomed Ankalaev for months: "He'd show up with a different opponent ranked #6 or #7"

Magomed Ankalaev has continued targeting Alex Pereira with scathing comments as he recently pointed out facts that seemingly proved Pereira was avoiding a matchup with him. According to Ankalaev, he kept waiting for a title shot, while Pereira continued to face opponents who were not in the top five.

Ankalaev called out Pereira on numerous occasions, bashing him, as the Russian pushed for a title opportunity on social media. The two have been at odds ever since, and they will now have the opportunity to resolve their differences inside the octagon in the main event of UFC 313, this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ahead of the title fight, Ankalaev spoke to Brett Okamoto on ESPN MMA's YouTube channel via a translator and chastised Pereira for ducking a fight with him, saying:

''I think that's exactly how it was because if you think back we were calling him [Pereira] out and we were looking for a fight with him, and he would say, 'you know what, the team decided to take a rest', so, instead of us being inactive, we would accept fights with other opponents. And immediately as soon as we would accept a fight, he'd show up with a different opponent ranked #6 or #7.''

Ankalaev added:

''This is something that's a mystery still because we don't know the answer, we just see the facts of the way things were happening. If he wasn't escaping the fight, if he wasn't avoiding the fight then why didn't he say my name? Why didn't he call me out because I've been there for a year, calling his name so, why wasn't my name said?''

Check out Magomed Ankalaev's comments below (1:15):

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Israel Adesanya previews the Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev fight

Alex Pereira will look to make his fourth title defense when he faces Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. In a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, Israel Adesanya shared his analysis of the title fight.

Adesanya, who is familiar with Pereira's style, believes that the Brazilian's deadly leg kicks will play an important role in the fight, which the Nigerian-born Kiwi thinks would end in a finish for 'Poatan'.

He said:

''Leg kicks, let’s just address the elephant in the room. That’s going to be a factor in this fight...Pereira is a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu now; he keeps getting better…kicks are going to force Magomed to wrestle. I’m going to go Pereira because, momentum...I think he’s going to go leg kicks, leg kicks, leg kicks, left hook. Alex Pereira by KO…he’s going to knock him out in the fourth or fifth round.” [H/t: Bloody Elbow]

Check out the full video below: