Ariel Helwani praises Dana White, Alex Pereira's coach dismisses UFC 313 loss, Jiri Prochazka calls out champion: MMA News Roundup

Ariel Helwani praises Dana White for boxing promotion, Alex Pereira's coach dimisses UFC 313 loss, and Jiri Prochazaka issues challenge to Magomed Ankalaev.

Find out more details in today's (March 13) Sportskeeda daily news roundup.

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#3. Ariel Helwani heaps praise on Dana White and Turki Alalshikh for new boxing promotion

Ariel Helwani recently set his long-standing rivalry with Dana White aside to praise the UFC CEO for partnering with Turki Alakshikh and WWE President Nick Khan in order to create a new boxing promotion.

The bombshell news broke earlier this month, with the boxing promotion already promising to scour the globe in order to find the most talented boxers and put on the biggest and best fights.

Reacting to the announcement on a recent episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, the MMA journalist praised White and his new partners, saying:

"There has never been, ever...a group that has come into combat sports with this power and this kind of money behind it. They have limitless funds. Those limitless funds are telling brilliant minds like Dana White, Nick Khan...'Here you go, run it for us.' There has never been a situation like this...They are set up to succeed off the jump. Netflix, ESPN [are] right there for the taking."

Check out Helwani's comments here (42:20):

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#2. Alex Pereira's coach dismisses UFC 313 loss, promises 'Poatan' will deliver in his next fight

Plinio Cruz, head coach of Alex Pereira, has issued a promise to fans on behalf of the now former champion. 'Poatan' recently suffered his first loss at 205 pounds against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313.

According to Cruz, Ankalaev may have made a mistake by beating Pereira, as the 37-year-old is now primed to bounce back from the defeat as a better fighter. Speaking on Alex Pereira's YouTube channel, Cruz said:

"What this guy's done was make it worse for him because now he'll face 'Poatan 2.0'. This has happened to 'Poatan' before, it's not the first time. He has experience in this, and a true champion is the one that stumbles but continues moving forward and reconquers it. 'Poatan' will reconquer the belt in the rematch."

Check out Cruz's comments regarding Alex Pereira below (7:23):

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#1. Jiri Prochazka issues challenge to Magomed Ankalaev

Jiri Prochazka has called for a bout against Magomed Ankalaev, following a heated exchange between the pair on social media.

Following Ankalaev's unanimous decision win over Alex Pereira at UFC 313, 'Denisa' offered himself up as the next contender. The newly crowned champ wasn't a fan of the potential matchup, however, and responded by labeling Prochazka as a "fraud."

The Czech fighter then appeared on a recent episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, where he opted to fire back at Ankalaev and issue him a challenge. He said:

"Only person who's fraud is him. on't speak about me anymore, cause you don't know me. Absolutely, you don't know what kind of life I am living, face me in the cage, then you will understand."

Check out Jiri Prochazka's comments here (26:50):