"The UFC's in some trouble" - Brendan Schaub gets honest about consequences of Magomed Ankalaev beating Alex Pereira, names promotion's biggest star

Brendan Schaub believes the UFC is in a tough spot following Alex Pereira’s loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. Pereira, a major pay-per-view draw, lost his light heavyweight title by unanimous decision, seemingly leaving the division without a clear superstar.

Schaub pointed out the promotion’s lack of big stars outside of Pereira. He questioned whether fighters like Ankalaev, Alexandre Pantoja or Merab Dvalishvili could generate significant pay-per-view sales.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Schaub said:

“The UFC’s in some trouble, man. Hey, name their big star. … Ankalaev? How many pay-per-views is he selling? Two: His mom, his uncle – who else? Who do you want? [Alexandre] Pantoja? 125? We don’t give a f*ck. 135? Who else have you got? Merab [Dvalishvili]? Nah, not happening. At middleweight, [Dricus du Plessis] has a chance.”

He added:

“[Islam] Makhachev is probably their biggest star. Pereira is still their most pay-per-view guy, but Makhachev is the biggest star pound-for-pound, and you know, he’s exciting. He’s the one Dagestani that’s exciting.”

Check out Brendan Schaub's comments below (8:45):

UFC CEO Dana White confirmed at the UFC 311 post-fight press conference that Pereira will most likely get an immediate rematch against Ankalaev. 'Poatan' released a statement after the fight claiming that he can avenge the loss against Ankalaev with minor adjustments in his game plan.

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Alex Pereira's coaches exude confidence in a potential rematch against Magomed Ankalaev

Alex Pereira’s coaches believe he should have won against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. Despite losing the light heavyweight title by unanimous decision, they argue that Pereira defended all takedown attempts and controlled the striking exchanges.

Glover Teixeira and Plinio Cruz remain optimistic, viewing this setback as a stepping stone for a stronger return. They are focused on refining Pereira’s game for an expected rematch. Speaking about the rematch, Cruz said:

"It went [Ankalaev’s] way this time, so we’ll train more, study more, get better to deliver you a better version of ‘Poatan’ – more mean. What this guy’s done was make it worse for him because now he’ll fight ‘Poatan 2.0.’ It’s happened to ‘Poatan’ before. It’s not the first time, and a true champion is the one that stumbles but continues moving forward and reconquers it. ‘Poatan’ will reconquer the belt in the rematch. [He’ll be] a more mean version, and our team will be on a level that is higher than it already is.” [H/t: MMA Fighting]