Magomed Ankalaev's latest stance on 'no wrestling against Alex Pereira' promise hints that Israel Adesanya may be spot-on with his UFC 313 analysis

Magomed Ankalaev recently softened his position on his initial vow to avoid wrestling against Alex Pereira in their title fight. Ankalaev is set to take on reigning light heavyweight champion Pereira in the main event of UFC 313 this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Following the announcement of their matchup, Ankalaev took to social media, promising to forgo his wrestling against the striking specialist, 'Poatan', to keep the fight on an even playing field. However, as the fight buildup progressed, the Russian powerhouse seemed less committed to his original plan.

During a recent interview with ESPN MMA, the former UFC 205-pound title challenger was asked whether he still intends to uphold his stand-and-bang promise or plans to mix in takedowns against Pereira. He replied through an interpreter:

"That was the initial tweet when Alex won the belt. [Glover] Teixeira tweeted something, and then we tweeted about, 'Don't worry about the wrestling.' But since then, things have changed a lot. He's been going with whatever streak he's been on, and he kinda forgot about my name... Now, we said that Glover's wrestling is not going to help him."

Check out Magomed Ankalaev's comments below (4:05):

Ankalaev’s wavering stance on wrestling at UFC 313 echoes Israel Adesanya’s analysis. In a recent video on his YouTube channel, 'The Last Stylebender' predicted that while Ankalaev may attempt takedowns, Pereira will neutralize them with his calf kicks:

"He’s saying what he wants to say to get the fight. He’ll stand up with him. Yeah, you’ll start off standing, but I don’t think it’s going to keep standing. He’s going to clinch. He’s definitely going to try to take him down... He’s going to shoot because he’s going to get tagged on the legs and, again, could get clocked in the face."

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below (8:52):

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Alex Pereira fires back at Magomed Ankalaev over 25-minute wrestling challenge

During a recent interview with New York Post Sports, Alex Pereira addressed Magomed Ankalaev's challenge to wrestle for the entire fight at UFC 313. 'Poatan' fired back, warning that if the Dagestani fails to impose his grappling, he will be forced to trade strikes with him:

"I’m really excited about this fight. I think this is going to be a great experience, and I can make his words my own, as well. Let’s see if he can stand for 25 minutes. If he can’t grapple me for 25 minutes, then he’s going to have to stand up, and we all know how that’s going to go."

Check out Alex Pereira's comments below (1:25):