Daniel Cormier issues final verdict on Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira title rematch after UFC 313: "Both would fight better"

Alex Pereira's light heavyweight title loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 stunned many. However, in the immediate aftermath of the bout, Daniel Cormier, who was part of the commentary team for the event, believes that both men would fare better against the other in a rematch.

In a video uploaded to his official YouTube channel, Cormier shared his thoughts on the strategic and tactical elements of the fight. In particular, he touched on the matchup's wrestling aspect and how well Pereira and Ankalaev did against each other.

"I think these guys should fight again because I believe that both would fight better. Both would fight better if they had to fight each other again. I think that it could be another fun fight. You know, wrestling is much more than just takedowns. Wrestling is the clinch, wrestling is holding someone against the octagon side, wrestling is forcing a man to be in a position that he doesn't want to be in."

He also praised Ankalaev for keeping Pereira pinned against the fence, despite failing to score any takedowns.

"That's not an easy thing to do. When Alex Pereira wants to get off the octagon side, he's big and strong enough to get off the octagon side, unless he's fighting against Magomed Ankalaev. I think Ankalaev would probably respect the wrestling of Pereira more going into a rematch, so he may change his approach a little bit."

Check out Daniel Cormier's thoughts on Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira 2 below (4:48):

A rematch appears to be what's next. 'Poatan's' coach, Plinio Cruz, called for a rematch on his Instagram story, while UFC CEO Dana White strongly implied that an immediate sequel ought to be next.

---

Another UFC legend shared his thoughts on Alex Pereira's performance

Alex Pereira is known for his exceptional kickboxing skills and devastating left hook. Ahead of UFC 313, much was made about his wrestling skills, or lack thereof. However, come fight night, he exhibited bulletproof takedown defense, which impressed former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen.

The Hall of Famer said:

"I think it's the best I've seen Pereira look in many ways. He lost the boxing part, but if it's kickboxing he won the kicking part. He nullified the grappling aspect, I mean down to zero. That's the skill we didn't know that he had."

Check out Chael Sonnen's praise for Alex Pereira's takedown defense below (3:29):