"Like man saw his own ghost," "Absolute specimen" - Fans left in awe as Alex Pereira faces off with Magomed Ankalaev after UFC 313 press conference

Alex Pereira faced off with Magomed Ankalaev after Thursday's UFC 313 press conference. The two will lock horns on Saturday, March 8, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Poirier's UFC light heavyweight belt on the line.

This would be the Brazilian's fourth title defense since winning the vacant belt on Nov. 11, 2023, beating former champion Jiri Prochazka. He has beaten Jamahal Hill, Khalil Rountree Jr., and Prochazka in a rematch since then.

From headlining the mega UFC 300 event to saving the day on short notice after Conor McGregor pulled out of UFC 303, 'Poatan' has emerged as the face of the promotion. He has remained active and delivered on his promises of explosiveness in the prolonged absence of superstars like Conor McGregor and Jon Jones.

After the video of Pereira's face-off with Ankalaev was posted online, fans poured in with their comments.

@BloodVariety wrote under a post by Championship Rounds:

"Ank looked scared af when he walked away. Like man's saw his own ghost."

@DipanPatelMD said:

"Dude is an absolute specimen."

Several others were shocked to see the size difference between the two fighters despite Pereira being 6'4" tall and Ankalaev being only an inch shorter than him.

Check out more comments below:

Fan comments on Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev pre-UFC 313 face-off [Image courtesy: @ChampRDS via X]

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Magomed Ankalaev doubles down on the 'UFC protected Alex Pereira' narrative

After Alex Pereira refused to actively call out Magomed Ankalaev after his last win, the Russian started saying that 'Poatan' was ducking him. He has remained steadfast in the claim in the build-up to UFC 313.

During the pre-event press conference, Ankalaev touched upon his previous light heavyweight title fight loss to Jan Blachowicz back in December 2022. The bout ended in a controversial split draw that saw the belt remain unclaimed.

According to a majority of the media members, fans, and MMA experts, Ankalaev had won the fight and deserved to win the belt. Addressing the matter, Ankalaev said:

"I wasn't upset about the last fight [vs. Jan Blachowicz. I have nobody to blame - it's just myself. We saw the fight. The whole world saw the fight. But it happened the way it happened. Now it's a whole different ball game."

He added:

"[Alex Pereira] should say thank you to Dana White for protecting him this whole time. Now it's going to be a whole different thing."

Watch the full UFC 313 pre-fight press conference below [Pereira and Ankalaev face off at 39:00]: