Pereira to defend light heavyweight belt against Ankalaev with grander visions beyond UFC 313
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jon Jones remains the UFC's primary star, the reigning heavyweight champion widely considered the best mixed martial-arts fighter of all time.
Jones lost his position as the top-ranked pound-to-pound fighter to Islam Makhachev, but Alex Pereira could get there. It's a case that UFC CEO Dana White made in January.
Pereira would likely have to beat Jones in the octagon, but the Brazilian has some work to do Saturday in UFC 313 before turning his attention to the possibility of moving up a weight class. He will put his light heavyweight belt on the line for the fourth time when he faces top-ranked challenger Magomed Anklalaev.
Oddsmakers list this as a close fight, with Pereira a -115 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook and Ankalaev at -105.
“I’m not looking ahead,” Pereira said through an interpreter. “But what I think for the future, what I have in hand, fighting Jon Jones or Olek Usyk in boxing, those I see possibly happening. It doesn’t depend on me. It depends on the UFC. Whatever the UFC wants to do, I’ll do it.”
Pereira (12-2), who turns 38 on July 7, is making a late-career run at becoming the UFC's marquee attraction.
He entered the UFC in 2021 and won four fights in a row, the last being a fifth-round technical knockout of Israel Adesanya for the middleweight championship on Nov. 12, 2022. Adesanya won the rematch with a second-round TKO on April 8, 2023.
But it didn't take Pereira long to get back on track, scoring a second-round TKO of Jirí Procházka seven months later for the vacant light heavyweight title. He hasn't lost since, and Pereira attributed that success to better understanding himself as he's gotten older and making the proper adjustments.
Ankalaev (20-1-1) has been chasing Pereira to land this fight. The 32-year-old from Russia comes off back-to-back victories, one by TKO and the other by unanimous decision.
“I can’t even explain what I’m feeling right now,” Ankalaev said through an interpreter. “It’s been a really long time that we’ve been hunting this bout. We’ve been waiting for this opportunity. Over a year, we’ve been asking for it. Now we’re finally here and we have this opportunity, I’m 100 percent motivated.”
Pereira disputed that he had avoided Ankalaev, saying he wanted more than just this matchup.
“Many people have dreams,” Pereira said. “This Saturday, I’m fulfilling one dream — to fight Ankalaev.”
Ankalaev said he has mostly adhered to fasting rules as he observes Ramadan, which lasts a month and is considered one of the holiest parts of the Muslim calendar. He said he broke “a couple of fasting sessions” to drink water in preparation for this fight, but that most of his training occurred beforehand.
His faith is why Ankalaev said he didn't take Pereira up on a bet in which the loser would donate $200,000 to the other fighter's charity, which has created a little bit of a back-and-forth between the two combatants.
“Whatever this warfare is, it doesn't work for me," Ankalaev said. "I have a fight against him. I don't care what he writes online or says online or tweets. If he wants to do some sort of a charity donation, I'm willing and happy to do it. Tell him that.”
The co-main event is a lightweight bout between third-ranked challenger Justin Gaethje (25-5) and No. 11 Rafael Fiziev (12-3). Gaethje was scheduled to fight Dan Hooker, who pulled out because of a hand injury.
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