Alex Pereira’s opponent makes complete U-turn on his no wrestling plan for UFC 313: "This is the most important fight in my life"

Alex Pereira’s next title challenger, Magomed Ankalaev, initially stated that he would keep the fight standing and not use his wrestling. However, he dismissed those earlier claims in a recent interview, hinting at a more well-rounded game plan.

Pereira is looking to defend his belt for the fourth time, and his upcoming title defense will come against arguably the toughest stylistic matchup in the division, given Ankalaev's sambo background. All of 'Poatan's three title defenses thus far have come against fellow strikers.

In a recent interview with The MacLife Plus, Ankalaev was asked about his earlier remarks. The Russian confidently asserted that he can both strike and wrestle, emphasizing that he will use all the tools in his arsenal to secure victory, given the significance of this fight in his career. He said:

“As we said before that people's opinions change, people say whatever they have to say but it's not like we're saying that we can only wrestle him, I’m not underestimating my skills as a striker, I can strike with him, I can wrestle with him what I know is this is the most important fight in my life and this is kind of opportunity we don't get a lot, I will do whatever I can to get that victory in whatever a key factor that have to do, whether it's wrestling or striking.”

Check out Magomed Ankalaev’s comments below (1:38):

---

Anthony Smith dismisses Magomed Ankalaev's wrestling ahead of title bout against Alex Pereira at UFC 313

UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith has shared his thoughts on the perception of Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC. Smith dismissed the notion that the Russian is a wrestling-heavy fighter, citing his performances inside the octagon thus far. Moreover, 'Lionheart' trained for and fought the Dagestani.

During his appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Smith highlighted how the only times Ankalaev has wrestled resulted in the only blemishes on his record: a submission loss to Paul Craig and a draw against Jan Blachowicz. The American MMA veteran said:

"[Wrestling is] not [Ankalaev's] game. That's really not his game. The only time he really went heavy wrestling, a little bit in the Paul Craig fight and then the Jan Blachowicz fight, so it's not really his style.”

Check out Anthony Smith's comments below (49:21):