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Alex Pereira losing his title to Magomed Ankalaev has been put under the microscope by many, with one of MMA's best minds offering his thoughts on the matter. UFC 313 saw Pereira take his first UFC loss in the light heavyweight division and also saw Ankalaev cement himself as the new 205 pound titleholder over the weekend.
One of the aspects that surprised many was that Ankalaev won the stand up battle against the former multi-division Glory kickboxing champion. But, Firas Zahabi has a theory as to why that transpired.
The owner and head coach of Tristar Gym took to the Gym's official YouTube channel to break things down. When describing how Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev would favour the former immensely in a kickboxing bout in the context of Ankalaev outstriking Pereira at UFC 313, Zahabi said:
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"[Alex] Pereira was hesitant. After round one, he was hesitant. He got stunned in round one and ever since he got stunned, he was hesitant. Now I have my idea why I think he was hesitant. One, he was worried about the takedown. He didn't want to get taken down. It was on his mind when he got stunned. Now he's worried about the striking and the takedowns."
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He continued:
"It was too much. You have to think twice before he throws and it was like the famous saying paralysis by analysis. He was trying to predict what Ankalaev was going to do. Ankalaev was more unpredictable than Pereira."
Check out Zahabi's breakdown of Pereira vs. Ankalaev post-UFC 313 [at the 2:10 mark] below:
Possible Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev Rematch broken down by another MMA analyst
Alex Pereira versus Magomed Ankalaev is the talk of the town in the MMA community as of late with negotiations reportedly already underway for an immediate title rematch.
During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Luke Thomas discussed some changes that the 37-year-old former champion could make if a rematch with Magomed Ankalaev is booked. When getting into the specifics of it, Thomas stated:
"You have to change the way your positioning works, you have to change your entries a little bit, you have to be a little bit more offensive honestly... Getting off the fence I think is going to be key. Then by re-engaging on the under hook and then turn, and then having an answer for the lead hand battle; those could make all the difference in the world."
