"Mental game" - Fans react to Magomed Ankalaev making bold promise for potential Alex Pereira rematch after UFC 313 win

Magomed Ankalaev has made a rather daring promise for his possible rematch against Alex Pereira. It comes in the wake of their grueling first encounter that transpired at UFC 313, which Ankalaev won. Fight fans soon chimed in on the Dagestani fighter's bold promise, issuing mixed reactions.

Ankalaev dethroned Pereira via unanimous decision in the headlining match of the UFC 313 pay-per-view (PPV) event on March 8, 2025. In the wake of the closely contested fight, a number of fans argued that 'Poatan' was robbed of a win by the three official judges and that Ankalaev's performance didn't warrant a victory.

On the contrary, many of Ankalaev's supporters have hit back at that narrative. They've underscored that the Dagestani combatant seemingly stunned Pereira with strikes in round two and outpointed him for the better part of the rest of the fight as well, thereby making him worthy of a win on the judges' scorecards.

The consensus is that the UFC could potentially book an immediate title rematch between the two archrivals next.

Taking to X, newly crowned UFC light heavyweight champion, Magomed Ankalaev, boldly suggested that his rematch against Alex Pereira wouldn't go the distance, implying that he'll finish (submit or knock out) 'Poatan.' Ankalaev tweeted:

"I'm ready for round 6 but this time will not go for full distant let's go guys."

The "@ChampRDS" X handle posted an image of Magomed Ankalaev's X post, which subsequently elicited a myriad of reactions from the MMA community. Several fans disapproved of Ankalaev's assertion. One X user wrote:

"you right it wont go the distance alex is finishing you."

Some fans reaffirmed the criticism that Ankalaev engaged in excessive clinching and stalling at UFC 313 and would do so in the rematch as well. Another X user noted:

"He's right it won't go full distance, he is getting slept."

On the other hand, some netizens sided with Ankalaev. A commenter predicted that Ankalaev would knock Pereira out if they were to clash in a rematch:

"Big ank will knock him out this time."

One observer expressed their excitement for the potential rematch between the two formidable light heavyweight combatants, writing:

"It gonna be an amazing rematch."

Meanwhile, one netizen appeared to indicate that Ankalaev was making such statements to psychologically attack Pereira, commenting:

"Mental game. This guy is good."

Check out the screenshots of a few reactions below:

Screenshots of tweets

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Light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev revisits his UFC 313 win over Alex Pereira

During the UFC 313 post-fight press conference, UFC CEO and president Dana White was questioned about the possibility of an immediate championship rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira. White signaled that the UFC would probably book that rematch.

That, in turn, has led many fans to believe that Magomed Ankalaev's first title defense could indeed come against Alex Pereira in the ensuing months.

As for Ankalaev, he's taken multiple jibes at his light heavyweight rivals ever since winning the title. In one particular tweet, he revisited his UFC 313 victory and opined:

"I just rewatched my fight again, 20 mins of this fight was all striking and most of this 20 mins I was the one putting the pressure. The gameplan to use wrestling to open the striking and I landed the hardest shots, I landed more significant strikes."