Magomed Ankalaev has two ways to outstrike Alex Pereira at UFC 313, claims legendary boxing coach while calling out 'Poatan's' potentially fatal flaw

Alex Pereira is set to put his light heavyweight belt on the line against Magomed Ankalaev in the headliner of UFC 313. The highly anticipated fight has the entire MMA community talking. Recently, legendary boxing coach Teddy Atlas weighed in and explained how Ankalaev could overpower Pereira.

Both Pereira and Ankalaev are riding high on confidence. The light heavyweight kingpin has finished his opponents in all three of his title defenses, while the Dagestani star is on a 13-fight unbeaten streak. The bout is set to go down this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, Las Vegas.

Speaking in his recent YouTube video, Atlas believes there are specific opportunities Ankalaev can exploit to pull off an upset. He pointed out Pereira’s aggressive nature and claimed the No. 1 contender is skilled at setting traps.

The boxing coach also highlighted ‘Poatan’s’ habit of moving straight back in a straight line under pressure and emphasized that the Dagestani could capitalize on this to secure victory. Atlas said:

“I can see an opportunity for him in two places. One, if he can get Pereira to be a little over-aggressive—because Pereira is the beast right now. So maybe he could get Pereira thinking he's going to go after this guy, get him to come in a little bit, and set up a counter to catch Pereira giving up his reach—catch him in a trap. Or, Pereira does have flaws—everybody does.

"He goes straight back on a straight line sometimes, and I could see an opportunity there for a guy like Ankalaev to follow him. But you got to be careful; it's a dangerous follow, a dangerous road. If you follow him and there's a little space, he's going to counter you.”

He continued:

“You have to do it just right, where you do it tight, where you catch him going back, and you're right with him when he's not set to punch. You catch him going back—you can do that. I think Ankalaev is going to look to do that. At the end of the day, I think it could be an upset.”

Check out Teddy Atlas’ comments below (2:54):

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Israel Adesanya predicts Alex Pereira will knock out Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313

Alex Pereira’s former opponent, Israel Adesanya, predicted a knockout victory for the Brazilian star against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in his recent YouTube video.

Adesanya emphasized that momentum is on ‘Poatan’s’ side and believes he will secure a finish in the championship rounds. ‘The Last Stylebender’ said:

“I'm [going with] Pereira because, momentum… I just think this is going to go leg kicks, leg kicks, leg kicks, left hook. Alex Pereira by KO... He’s going to knock him out in the fourth or fifth round."

Check out Israel Adesanya’s comments below (13:42):