Alex Pereira to risk chasing a knockout in Magomed Ankalaev rematch, predicts top UFC middleweight

A top middleweight contender recently offered his thoughts on Alex Pereira's highly anticipated rematch with Magomed Ankalaev. The individual expressed confidence in Pereira's ability to exact revenge.

Pereira lost his light heavyweight belt to Ankalaev when the two clashed in the main event of UFC 313 earlier this year. The Russian delivered an impressive performance, defeating Pereira via unanimous decision. Now, the Brazilian has a chance to reclaim his 205-pound title by beating Ankalaev at UFC 320 on Oct. 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In a recent interview with Helen Yee Sports, No. 6-ranked middleweight contender Caio Borralho shared his opinion on the rematch. He believes 'Poatan' can apply pressure and secure a knockout win, saying:

''I heard that [Pereira] was hurt on the first fight or something like that. He didn't say anything to me, but I heard that he wasn't like 100% on this fight. For sure Ankalaev is a hard guy to fight because he's a very intelligent guy when he's fighting. So, I think the fight will be mostly the same, but I think Alex could pressure a little bit more because now Alex knows that he can defend the takedowns because he defended a lot of takedowns in the first fight.''

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

He continued:

''So I think right now [Pereira] can risk to bring more pressure to Ankalaev to find that knockout and all that and then I think the fight will be better for him after he does that.''

Check out Caio Borralho's comments below (6:57):

As for Borralho, he is set to face Nassourdine Imavov in a middleweight bout in the main event of UFC Fight Night 258 on Sep. 6 at the Accor Arena in Paris. 'The Natural' is on a 14-fight win streak, the most recent being a unanimous decision victory against Jared Cannonier at UFC Vegas 96 last year.

---

Veteran boxing trainer lauds Alex Pereira's left hook

In a recent interview with BetVictor Online Casinos, legendary boxing trainer Teddy Atlas expressed his admiration for former UFC two-division champion Alex Pereira's left hook, saying:

''I think that Pereira has the best left hook. He has a good left hook, whether it's a counter left hook or a lead left hook. It is short, it is powerful, it is accurate, it is beautiful...Pereira's got as good a left hook as you can ever see." [H/t: MMA Knockout]

Notably, Pereira achieved immense success inside the octagon in a short period of time with his outstanding knockout victories.

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena