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Alex Pereira will most likely face perennial light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev next, though the champion recently teased that his next opponent would not be the Russian, with rumors of a potential bout against middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev swirling in the MMA world.
Given Pereira's elite striking skillset, and Ankalaev being born in Russia, where many of the best wrestlers in MMA are from, fans expect the light heavyweight contender to try and take 'Poatan' to the ground. But according to the 32-year old's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, he has no plans on trying to score a takedown against the light heavyweight champion.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Abdelaziz shared some eye-opening claims made by Ankalaev, including his belief that Israel Adesanya's striking does not compare to his:
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"Ankalaev, what he told me, he said, 'I'm not wrestling with [Pereira]. I'm gonna shw everybody. Izzy can't even wash my boots in striking. I'm gonna knock Alex Pereira out. Get the respect I've deserved for a long time.' It's a long task to strike with [Pereira] and knock him out. But I believe Ankalaev can do it."
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Catch Ali Abdelaziz share Magomed Ankalaev's comments below (17:45):
Islam Makhachev beats Alex Pereira, believes Ali Abdelaziz
Islam Makhachev currently holds the lightweight title, which he is preparing to defend against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 on Jan. 18. According to his longtime manager Ali Abdelaziz, the Dagestani fighter could move up to light heavyweight and take on Alex Pereira for his title.
Makhachev has previously indicated that he would be eager to move to welterweight to attempt to secure a UFC title in a second division. But Abdelaziz believes the 155-pound king would find success at light heavyweight as well.
During the same interview, the MMA manager said:
"I believe 155, 170, 185, I think Islam can beat anybody on any given day. This is what I believe in because what he’s shown me, the development, the improvement. I think Islam will beat Alex Pereira at 205, I do. I swear to Allah. I think Islam Makhachev will beat Pereira. He’s just going to take him down and finish him, submit him... Alex Pereira can knock out anybody on the planet if he touches you, but I think Islam Makhachev is this good."
