Mar 8, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Magomed Ankalaev (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Alex Pereira (not pictured) during UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

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Magomed Ankalaev Responds To Alex Pereira’s UFC PI Jab With Cold Reminder Of Five Round Domination!

The beef between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira is heating up nicely ahead of their UFC 320 rematch. These two warriors have a serious history together, and it shows every time they open their mouths about each other. Six months ago, Ankalaev shocked the world by dethroning the seemingly unstoppable Alex Pereira at UFC 313. The Dagestani fighter dominated him for five straight rounds, ending the Brazilian’s perfect run in the light heavyweight division. Now, with their rematch set for UFC 320 in Las Vegas, both fighters are already trading verbal jabs that promise fireworks when they actually step into the octagon.

The latest round of trash talk started when Pereira dropped a bombshell claim in his YouTube video. The former two-division champion accused Ankalaev of literally hiding from him at the UFC Performance Institute earlier this week. According to Pereira, the current light heavyweight king was playing hide and seek like a scared kid when they both happened to be training at the same facility.

The Brazilian has built his reputation on being a knockout artist who fears nobody, so seeing him throw shade at his recent conqueror makes perfect sense. But Ankalaev wasn’t about to let those comments slide without firing back with both barrels.

Magomed Ankalaev Fires Back At Alex Pereira

The Dagestani champion wasted no time responding to Pereira’s accusations, and his comeback was cold. Ankalaev took to social media and basically told Pereira to pump the brakes on his trash talking. He called the former champion a “clown” and reminded everyone exactly what happened in their first fight.

“This clown who I’m fighting said I’m hiding from him, I’m giving him a rematch and he should be very grateful. I whooped him for 5 rounds and I did everything I wanted to him during the fight. Let’s focus on fighting and not trash talking.”

Magomed Ankalaev fires back at Alex Pereira after Pereira accused him of hiding at the UFC PI 😳

"I'm giving him a rematch and he should be very grateful. I whooped him for 5 rounds and I did everything I wanted to him during the fight…

Let's focus on fighting and not trash… pic.twitter.com/qzxNXqM7ur
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 24, 2025

The champion pointed out that he’s giving Pereira a rematch and that the Brazilian should be grateful for the opportunity. It’s a fair point when you think about it. Immediate rematches aren’t handed out like candy, especially when the first fight was as one-sided as their UFC 313 encounter.

Pereira built his name as a knockout artist who could end fights with one perfectly timed strike. Ankalaev, on the other hand, represents that classic Dagestani fighting style: technical, relentless, and incredibly durable. When they first fought at UFC 313, many expected Pereira’s power to be the deciding factor, but Ankalaev’s game plan was absolutely perfect. He mixed up his striking and grappling, controlled the pace, and never let Pereira get comfortable enough to unleash his devastating power shots. Now, as the rematch approaches, it remains to be seen if Ankalaev can keep Pereira’s aggressiveness down with his gameplan.

(Image Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie – Imagn Images)

Alex Pereira

Magomed Ankalaev

UFC 320

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!