Alex Pereira has brazenly dismissed a callout from a top light heavyweight contender, revealing that the UFC is already discussing his next title fight.
Whilst Alex Pereira failed to make the quick turnaround for UFC 301 this weekend as he initially targeted, the fan-favorite champion has called his shot as to who he wants to face next in the UFC octagon.
Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira has already dismissed one callout
Following his first-round demolition of Jamahal Hill, ‘Poatan’ was called out for a fight in Abu Dhabi in October by top contender and #2 ranked light heavyweight in the world, Magomed Ankalaev.
Pereira was quick to shut down the offer as “I don’t want to tight at the end of the year,” but still left the door open to a bout against the ‘problematic’ contender, whose momentum has certainly slowed since his 2022 draw with Jan Blachowicz:
“I want to fight sooner, so maybe that shows he won’t be ready. I don’t know why he said that…This guy is complicated. Honestly, I have to see what’s best, I’m here to fight… If I have to fight there, I will, but if it’s not a date I want then it’s not best for me, I can say no.”
Alex Pereira eyes Jiri Prochazka rematch, snubs Magomed Ankalaev as ‘boring’
Speaking in a media scrum ahead of UFC 301 this weekend, as reported by Ag.Fight, Alex Pereira was asked about his next fight in the UFC and whether it would indeed be the 19-1-1 Russian grappler.
Not only did Pereira again discard Ankalaev as his next opponent, but revealed that he’d already been in conversations with the UFC about who his return bout could be against:
“As we have already talked more or less with the organization, [Magomed] Ankalaev is kind of ruled out and also what he said to me doesn’t make sense. He’s a guy who had two very bad fights, very boring to watch. So, I don’t think there’s any need to say his name.”
Instead, Pereira is eyeing a title fight rematch with a former champion, stating: “It’s not 100%, but [my next opponent should be] Jiri Prochazka.”
The fan-favorite champion added in an interview with Canal Encarada that, “I know that the LHW category is the right one, so I’m going to concentrate on that.”
“I think that Jiri Prochazka is the right opponent for me at the moment – we’ve already had a few discussions with the UFC.”
Pereira faced Prochazka back in November 2023, with the Brazilian kickboxing specialist ending the contest in spectacular fashion as he knocked out ‘BJP’ in the second round.
It’s a rematch that Prochazka himself has been calling for since his own spectacular KO of Aleksander Rakic at UFC 300, telling The Schmo only a few hours after the viral victory:
“I saw him [Pereira] and I saw his performance, [it was] amazing and I have to say that now I’m starting to take it seriously. Because this is for me, something that I want to do, I want to achieve this victory and when I want something, I will achieve that.”
Poatan’s manager says Ankalaev would ‘100% get knocked out’
Earlier this week, Alex Pereira’s manager Jorge Guimaraes spoke to Sherdog and also teased that they could be moving away from a potential fight with Ankalaev.
“Not necessarily it will be Ankalaev [next],” said the veteran manager, citing the interest from the fanbase, before adding that Pereira would never refuse an official fight offer, should the UFC enter negotiations:
“I don’t think Ankalaev moves the needle, but whatever they bring, I think Alex is ready for anything. He doesn’t choose opponents – I mean the man is ready to go right now.”
Unsurprisingly, Guimaraes picked his fighter to make easy work of the Russian grappler, arguing that “I don’t think Ankalaev has a chance against Poatan” and that fans shouldn’t overlook his takedown defense:
“A lot of people underestimate his ground skills and it’s going to be impossible for Ankalaev to find the distance to take him down – it’s not easy and even if you find that distance and close the gap, it’s so difficult to take him down.”
“I think Ankalaev would get knocked out 100%,” he concluded.
UFC 301 goes down this weekend from Rio de Janeiro, with Pereira expected to be in attendance.