- Alex Pereira is set for a light heavyweight title rematch against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320.
- Pereira claims he was only at 40 percent health during his first fight, which he lost to Ankalaev.
- Despite losing the first match, Pereira remains a fan favorite over the current champion, Ankalaev.
Alex Pereira wore a purple suit without a shirt to the last news conference before UFC 320.
His biceps stretched the suit fabric as he sat near his upcoming opponent, Magomed Ankalaev, who beat Pereira and took his light heavyweight title in March in their first fight.
Periera’s expression was stone cold as the rematch drew near.
‘I think Alex right now is looking much better than last time,’ said Jiri Prochazkam, the former light heavyweight champion who is fighting on the undercard at UFC 320 on Saturday, Oct. 4 in Las Vegas.
Can Pereira display the dominance and striking power that has produced 10 knockouts in his 12 victories? Was his first fight against Ankalaev an anamoly? Or at 38 is he suddenly in decline?
At the news conference, two days before a shot at redemption, Pereira said, ‘all the questions will be answered.’
His looking better ahead of the rematch goes beyond the snazzy suit and bulging biceps, indicated Pereira, whose performance against Ankalaev was surprisingly lackluster.
‘I wasn’t feeling well that day and now I feel much better,’ Pereira said. ‘I feel much more prepared.’
Hobbled by an assortment of ailments, Periera said he was at 40 percent during the last fight. The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Ankalaev.
‘I was on my worst day,’ Pereira said, ‘and that’s all he could do.’
Pereira, the 38-year-old Brazilian, clearly lost that fight but hasn’t lost the fans. That was evident at the news conference Thursday, when they cheered him and booed Ankalaev, the 33-year-old Russian.
Neither fighter speaks English and neither is a natural showman. But they’ve kept the fans more entertained during the buildup to the rematch, with an assist from Ankalaev’s coach, Sukhrab Magomedov.
‘He’s an old kickboxer,’ Magomedov said of Periera on UFC Countdown. ‘He has no speed. Powerful punch? Alex, he has a punch, but not the kind that can really knock you out.
‘And I tell everyone: If Magomed opens up, he’ll surprise everyone. …’
But on Thursday, there was no Magomedov on the dais during the jawing between the two men who will fight with the light heavyweight title on the line.
‘Them booing … the reason is I keep beating their favorite fighters and they’re just mad at me,’ Ankalaev said. ‘I can’t do nothing about it.’
‘These people who are booing me, they’re really lighting me up so I’m very hype,’ he added. ‘And on Saturday I’m going to finish this man.’
This man, Pereira, had a few things to say, too.
‘(Ankalaev) became a champion is because I wasn’t there and now I’m here,’ Pereira said, referring to his lackluster performance in March. ‘I’m going to put a stamp on this on Saturday, beat him again and then all the questions will be answered.’