"Bro yapping after losing to Paul Craig" - Fans flame Magomed Ankalaev for calling Alex Pereira's standup game overrated

Top-ranked UFC light-heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev gave his thoughts on his division's ruler, two-weight UFC champion Alex Pereira. Ankalaev is on a 12-fight unbeaten streak and has been campaigning for a title shot as he hasn't lost a fight in the UFC since his debut in 2018.

In light of Alex Pereira's sensational knockout win over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303 last weekend, Ankalaev said some not-so-nice words about the stand-up game of 'Poatan'.

In an interview with MMA Junkie, the Dagestani wrestling specialist said:

"He [Pereira] definitely has a strong punch, but overall his stand-up is overrated... He was lucky he didn't face serious opposition. Wrestling is there, but I'm ready to fight with him standing up, to test him out."

MMA Junkie posted the quote on Instagram:

Fans are reacting in various ways in the comments section, with @ravioli__17 saying:

"Bro yapping after losing to Paul Craig"

@plentyoflows said:

"[Magomed] ankalaev would get sparked if he keeps it standing"

Comments on the post. [Image credit: @mmajunkie on Instagram]

Here are more fan comments:

More comments on the post. [Image credit: @mmajunkie on Instagram]

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Magomed Ankalaev could pose a serious threat to Alex Pereira's light-heavyweight reign

To say that Alex Pereira's stand-up game is "overrated" and insinuating that Jiri Prochazka wasn't "serious opposition" are truly gutsy moves. Pereira is a two-division UFC champion and a Glory Kickboxing double champion. His striking is elite on all levels.

Still, Ankalaev's wrestling pedigree will matter a lot if he ever faces 'Poatan'. If you look at the entire lineage of world champions in the UFC alone, you'll find wrestling specialists dominating the numbers in nearly all weight classes. Simply put, when it comes to MMA, wrestling is the ultimate equalizer, and Pereira hasn't faced a wrestler like Ankalaev in the UFC yet.

Magomed Ankalaev comes from the land of arguably the best wrestlers today, Dagestan, Russia. Aside from the fact that he can willfully take Alex Pereira down and control him on the ground, he also has a respectable stand-up KO power.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, a specialist in wrestling, knocked down arguably one of the best strikers today, Conor McGregor. He did it not because he has an extensive kickboxing background. He did it simply due to the threat of the takedown, which had McGregor dropping his hands in anticipation of the shot.

Expect Magomed Ankalaev to apply a similar strategy against Alex Pereira.