The UFC light heavyweight title will be on the line in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Alex Pereira will look to break a defense record set by Jon Jones by beating Magomed Ankalaev.
A win could set up a fight with ‘Bones’ or Tom Aspinall after UFC boss Dana White talked up the possibility of Pereira moving up a division if he wins at UFC 313.
Will that happen? Let’s see what the Bloody Elbow staff have to say about Pereira vs Ankalaev.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Jordan Ellis: “I’m backing Alex Pereira to retain his title. On paper, Magomed Ankalaev presents more problems than his latest few opponents, but I still expect him to get knocked out. I think Pereira will shock everyone by fending off most of the takedowns before closing the show when Ankalaev gets tired in the third or fourth round.”
PREDICTION: ALEX PEREIRA BY KO
Donagh Corby: “Alex Pereira has to be perfect for just one moment on Saturday night, while Magomed Ankalaev has to remain on top for all five rounds. That great equalizer of power is why you can almost never rule out Poatan, even when it seems all the odds are against him. I’ll be honest, I thought his Madison Square Garden meeting with Israel Adesanya would be completely uncompetitive based on their previous kickboxing experience, and was proven a fool. Then I picked Jan Blachowicz, same again. Everything in my analytical mind of studying fights and styles tells me Magomed Ankalaev wins this fight over five painful and boring rounds. But every round starts on the feet, and I just can’t pick against Alex Pereira when he gets five chances to land that shot.”
PREDICTION: ALEX PEREIRA BY KO
Tom Llewellyn: “Magomed Ankalaev will stall out the opening two rounds against the cage, pot-shotting from the clinch and securing the occasional takedown – perhaps he even cuts Pereira with an elbow, either way, it’s 2-0 to the challenger.“However, Alex Pereira has some of the best low kicks in the game and Ankalaev’s tree has already been chopped down a few times in his UFC tenure; the Russian looks unsteady as Pereira rallies back to make it 2-1.
“As the fight enters the championship rounds, Pereira’s ability to put ‘water in the basement’ will pay-off and pay-out – Ankalaev’s output slows to a snail’s pace and ‘Poatan’ runs away with rounds three, four, and five.”
PREDICTION: ALEX PEREIRA BY DECISION
Jamie Theodosi: “I’m taking Magomed Ankalaev in this fight. I believe Pereira’s reign is going to end with a pretty boring performance from Ankalaev as I can see him controlling most of this fight against the cage and on the ground.”
PREDICTION: MAGOMED ANKALAEV BY DECISION
James Sweetnam: “I believe Ankalaev will prove to be too much of a well-rounded force for Pereira, and will ultimately beat the legend down, before securing the finish.”
PREDICTION: MAGOMED ANKALAEV BY STOPPAGE
Curtis Calhoun: “I predict Pereira has done the homework to stop Ankalaev’s ground game, and maybe even land some damaging shots off of his back like he did against Adesanya. Leg kicks will play a big factor in this fight, especially after Ankalaev’s struggles countering Jan Blachowicz’s kicks. Pereira will look to take the wheels off of Ankalaev in Rounds 1-3 before upping the pace in Round 4, when he’ll finish the fight by TKO after wearing down the title challenger.”
PREDICTION: ALEX PEREIRA BY KO
Kyle Dimond: “For a lot of people, this pick comes down to whether you think Magomed Ankalaev will try to grapple or not. Whilst I don’t think it’s necessarily that simple, I do think Ankalaev will try to win this fight on the feet and though he has been proven to be effective, striking with Alex Pereira is about as uphill a battle as you could ask for. I do think Ankalaev will have success but ultimately, ‘Poatan’ is too dangerous to roll the dice against and when you’re standing with Pereira, those dice are loaded.”
PREDICTION: ALEX PEREIRA BY KO
Alex PereiraMagomed AnkalaevMMAStaff picksUFCUFC 313
