Alex Pereira answers whether Magomed Ankalaev is the toughest opponent he's ever faced

Alex Pereira shared his opinion on Magomed Ankalaev being his toughest opponent till now. Ankalaev was dismissed by Pereira, who claimed to have previously faced more formidable opponents than the Russian.

For context, Pereira put his light heavyweight title on the line against Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313 earlier this year, which ended in the 33-year-old's favor. Ankalaev displayed a solid performance and dethroned 'Poatan' via unanimous decision.

Many people are expecting a rematch between the two, although no official announcement has been made yet. Despite Ankalaev's quick approval, Pereira failed to comply with a quick return, prompting a mocking response from the reigning champion, who believes the Brazilian is delaying their second fight.

However, Pereira recently took a firm stance on his octagon comeback. During a recent interview with The Schmo, the former champion was asked if Ankalaev was the toughest opponent in his professional career. Pereira said:

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''I’ve definitely fought tougher opponents. The situation itself on that day (UFC 313), the circumstances, made him a hard opponent. But I’ve definitely fought people way harder than him.”

Check out Alex Pereira's comments below (5:31):

Pereira looked dull against Ankalaev in their title fight at UFC 313, as he was unable to inflict any significant damage, resulting in a disappointing loss. The 37-year-old will be looking to repeat his remarkable results from last year, when he defeated Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree Jr.

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Alex Pereira opens up about his MMA return

Given Alex Pereira's huge stature in recent days, many wondered if the Brazilian was going to make a heavyweight move, as the former two-division kingpin has voiced to desire to become a triple champion in the past. Notably, Tom Apsinall becoming the new undisputed champion this past Saturday after Jon Jones' retirement has also fueled speculations about Pereira potentially advancing to challenge Aspinall.

However, Pereira is more focused on reclaiming his 205-pound belt back from Magomed Ankalaev. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting at Fanatics Fest, 'Poatan' revealed his comeback during the second half of the year.

''Anywhere around the timeframe [of] September, October, November, for me it makes no difference, I want to fight. My focus right now is fighting Ankalaev... get my belt back, and then we see what happens after...Let those guys kill each other in that weight class. Right now I’m just focusing on light heavyweight.”

Check out Alex Pereira's comments below (2:57):

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena