-1600x900.webp)
LAS VEGAS – At Thursday’s pre-fight press conference, a journalist asked Alex Pereira if he believed a win over Magomed Anklaev on Saturday would solidify him as the face of the UFC.
If the “Chama” chants that interrupted Pereira's answer were any indication, it would seem he's already cemented himself in that role.
Pereira is seeking his fourth Light Heavyweight title defense in under 11 months on Saturday. It's been a stretch that has seen him go from an already popular headliner to the biggest star in combat sports.
The first defense came via a thrilling first-round knockout of Jamahal Hill at UFC 300 in April. The second defense was the instantly infamous roundhouse kick against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303 in July. Khalil Rountree gave Pereira his toughest test of the three in Pereira’s third defense of the year at UFC 307 in October. The 35-year-old Los Angeles native led on the cards through three rounds before being knocked out in the fourth.
Ankalaev will be Pereira’s toughest test since UFC 295, where he first earned the belt over Prochazka. Pereira is currently listed as a -115 to -120 favorite in sportsbooks across the country. That's the longest his odds have been since Israel Adesanya put him to sleep at UFC 287 in April 2023.
Ankalaev enters UFC 313 on a 13-fight unbeaten streak, with his lone loss coming to Paul Smith in 2018. The consensus among pundits is that Ankalaev was robbed in his only other title fight, a controversial split draw against Jan Blachowicz for the interim belt at UFC 282.
Pereira surely isn’t underestimating Ankalaev, but he’s also not giving him any real respect.
“He's different, everyone has been different since (I left) kickboxing,” Pereira said. “In the UFC, everybody's been different than what I’ve faced and I've always been beaten them down. Let's leave it for Saturday. I’ve got my plans, I’ve got my strategies but believe me, we're going to get this done.”
While Pereira is looking to prove his mettle as the face of the company, Ankalaev aims to have him longing for the tire shop he worked at before his rapid rise.
“We're planning on absolutely dominating him,” Ankalaev said. “We’re going to make sure that Chama has no chances on Saturday. Whether or not he stays in the sport or decides to go back to the tire shop, that's going to be up to him. He's going to be the one that has to make that decision. The same people that saying ‘Chama’ now are going to be saying ‘No Chama’. It’s Ankalaev time.”
Regardless of who comes out on top Saturday night, it could very well produce the signature moment in combat sports this year.
