Sean Strickland reveals what Alex Pereira can do to dethrone Magomed Ankalaev in rematch

One former UFC titleholder believes he knows what Alex Pereira can do to defeat Magomed Ankalaev in a rematch.

At UFC 313 back in March, Pereira put the light heavyweight gold at stake against Ankalaev. “Poatan” was hoping to pull off a fourth successful title defense, but it wasn’t meant to be. Anaklaev’s forward pressure proved to be too much for Pereira on fight night, and the Russian contender became a champion via unanimous decision.

Ankalaev’s first title defense hasn’t been announced, but one ex-champion feels Pereira will have an answer if he’s given a rematch.

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Key to Alex Pereira Avenging Loss

During an interview with Red Corner MMA, former UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland detailed what Alex Pereira can do to dethrone Magomed Ankalaev in a potential rematch (h/t MMAJunkie).

“Ankalaev is just so f*cking good,” Strickland told Red Corner MMA. “I think a couple of things. I think Alex has a great chance of beating him in the rematch. I think Alex goes too hard. I mean, how many title defenses did he have? Going up and down weight classes, where Ankalaev rides the bench for a certain amount of time. Like, being that active and on top of that being a superstar. Like, no one knows who the f*ck Ankalaev is. Ankalaev walks down the street, no one knows who the f*ck that guy is.

“Alex is a superstar. He can’t leave his house without someone saying, ‘Oh, sh*t, there’s Alex, should we take a picture?’ It kind of takes a toll on the mind. Where you take Ankalaev who just lives in a f*cking cave somewhere, I don’t know where the f*ck that guy is from. He doesn’t have to deal with the same pressures of being famous as you do in the U.S. So I think Alex, if he just takes a step back, clears his brain, comes in fresh, stop traveling all over the f*cking world, I think he has a legitimate shot of beating him.”

Ankalaev has claimed that Pereira wants no part of him inside the Octagon a second time. Pereira recently claimed a post on social media expressing frustration with the UFC was the result of a hack. It’s left some wondering if “Poatan” has been passed over for the next UFC light heavyweight title fight, but that has not been confirmed at this time.