[ad_1]
Alex Pereira will be hoping that his potential rematch against Magomed Ankalaev is a complete contrast to their first meeting at UFC 313 in March.
After an extremely exciting reign over the UFC light heavyweight division, Alex Pereira‘s time at the top came crashing down disappointingly against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March.
Ankalaev sailed to a unanimous decision victory after outpointing ‘Poatan’ on the feet for the majority of the fight, dominating him at his own game.
Immediately after their fight, talks regarding a rematch began, with UFC boss Dana White keen on making the fight happen.
Alex Pereira backed to reclaim title by long-time rival
Despite talks having started almost immediately and the fact that the Russian champion stated he wanted the fight to happen in August, talks have seemingly stalled recently, with Ankalaev providing a negative update.
It was revealed soon after the fight by Joe Rogan that Pereira went into the fight with a broken hand and norovirus, and he is likely taking some time to recover.
However, whenever that fight does get booked, the Brazilian has been backed to reclaim his title by his long-time kickboxing rival, Artem Vakhitov.
“I think Pereira was focussed too much on the takedown defense, and that’s why he couldn’t make his own work happen and why he couldn’t deliver his knockout punch,” Vakhitov told Bloody Elbow in an exclusive interview.
“I think the next fight, the rematch, he will be more open, and I’m sure it will not go the distance. Alex has felt that there is not a lot of danger in the takedowns, so now he can do his job clearly.
“It’s difficult to say, but I think yes (he will reclaim his title),” Vakhitov continued.
Artem Vakhitov still in talks with the UFC following contract rejection
Vakhitov and Pereira have shared the ring twice, both scoring a win over one another. After the Russian’s win on Dana White’s Contender Series last year, it seemed like a big possibility that we could see the trilogy under the UFC banner.
Despite that, Vakhitov seemingly rejected the UFC’s contract as they were offering him too low of a base salary.
However, he revealed to Bloody Elbow this Friday that he is still in negotiations with the promotion, with a future in the UFC still on the table.
[ad_2]
Source link
Subscribe to my channel
