Ex-UFC fighter believes Alex Pereira gave his best performance against Magomed Ankalaev despite loss: "He nullified the grappling aspect down to zero"

Several questions were raised regarding Alex Pereira's performance against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. A former UFC fighter, however, thinks 'Poatan' fought well.

Pereira put his light heavyweight title on the line against Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313 this past weekend. The Brazilian exceeded expectations by displaying his impressive takedown defense.

However, despite some early success, Pereira failed to cause any significant damage to his opponent throughout the fight. As a result, Ankalaev was declared the winner by a unanimous decision.

Following his loss, many in the MMA community criticized Pereira for not giving his all inside the octagon. However, according to former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen, it was Pereira's best performance to date.

Sonnen posted a video on his YouTube channel and praised 'Poatan' for his resilience, saying:

''I really thought the performance was impressive. I think it's the best I've seen Pereira look in many ways, 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 a skill we didn't know that he had. That's a skill that he got to show. He pushed hard in the fifth round like he always does he never gives up on himself like he always does. He was just as tenacious, just as angry, just as vicious just as much competitive in this, as he's ever been. Do we disagree with any of those things? ''

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (3:29):

Known for his wrestling prowess, Ankalaev shocked everyone by outclassing Pereira in the striking department for the majority of the fight. This prompted a reaction from UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who slammed Pereira in his post-fight analysis with Daniel Cormier and Jon Anik.

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Daniel Cormier praises Magomed Ankalaev for his title win against Alex Pereira

Magomed Ankalaev's performance against Alex Pereira at UFC 313 earned him praise from many, including Daniel Cormier. Cormier recently uploaded a video on his YouTube channel and shared his opinions on the title fight.

Cormier was impressed by Ankalaev's pressure on Pereira throughout the fight, saying:

''Magomed Ankalaev fought a beautiful fight. Honestly, Pereira landed a few jabs. In round five, he landed a nice head kick, but the vast majority of the fight it was Magomed Ankalaev pressuring him, able to land shots, maybe not big shots but land shots and fight him very competitively on the feet. I believe that the reason he was able to fight him so well on the feet is because he has that threat of the wrestling, and when you have that threat of the wrestling it makes you a much harder person to deal with.” [H/t: BJ Penn]

Check out the full video below: