Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Magomed Ankalaev Responds to Alex Pereira’s Challenge To Bet $200K

Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Magomed Ankalaev is set to face Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title at UFC 313. He has a near flawless record of 20-1-1 and his only loss came against Paul Craig in his UFC debut match. Ever since his loss, Ankalaev has been on a tear and has won 11 fights with a draw and a no contest. He will be a different and a tough challenge for Poatan as Pereira has never really faced a true grappler yet.

Even though Ankalaev is a skilled grappler, he rarely pursues submissions and has never won by making his opponents tap out. Even though he has stated that he is more than willing to stand up with Pereira and exchange blows with him, that might not be a wise move against somebody who’s known for his lethal strikes and devastating power. It will be interesting to watch what direction Ankalaev will try to take the fight in. Will he try to fight on the ground or will he stand up and exchange blows? We’ll see.

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On the other hand we have Poatan who is already considered one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time. He is a healthy 12-2-0 so far in his MMA career. He’s faced some great fighters in the UFC so far and has taken down Israel Adesanya, Jamahal Hill, and Sean Strickland to name a few.

Poatan is also only the 9th fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two different divisions (middleweight, and light heavyweight). Most of his wins have come via knockouts and if you’re Ankalaev, you have to watchout for his left hook which is lethal.

Recently, Pereira asked Ankalaev to bet on his their own fight for $200K but Ankalaev refused to do so. Why? Let us find out more.

Since you are so confident you will win, $200,000 to the winners charity of choice. Win or lose this will help those in need. It’s in your hands @AliAbdelaziz00 @AnkalaevM
— Alex "Poatan" Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) March 3, 2025

Ankalaev refuses to bet on his own fight but he offers to help others in need instead

It all started when Pereira asked Ankalaev to bet on their own fight at UFC 313 for quite a noble cause.

Poatan had tweeted “Since you are so confident you will win, $200,000 to the winners charity of choice. Win or lose this will help those in need. It’s in your hands.”

“As a Muslim you know betting is forbidden in Islam, and also as a Muslim every year I have to give 2.5% of my wealth to charity this is one of the five pillars of Islam. Many kids around the world are in need and we can do things after the fight but we don’t have to publicize it”, Ankalaev replied.

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Ankalaev also wrote “Saturday I am fighting the world champion and I am the contender Inshallah. I will make history. No more talking just fighting.”

Saturday I am fighting the world champion and I am the contender Inshallah. I will make history. No more talking just fighting. @ufc 313
— Magomed Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) March 4, 2025

Pereira will face on arguably his toughest challenge yet at UFC 313 this saturday. Both the fighters will be in unfamiliar territory because Poatan has never faced a skilled grappler like the Russian and Ankalaev has never faced a fighter who has such devastating power who can knock you out in an instant.

Also Read: Justin Gaethje Gives His Thoughts On Ilia Topuria’s Chances At Lightweight

Alex Pereira

Magomed Ankalaev

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UFC 313

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