In the world of combat sports, a taunt is never just a taunt. When Magomed Ankalaev mocked the snow-covered wrestling video featuring Alex Pereira and coach Glover Teixeira—“I hope you ready to do this 25 minutes”—he thought he was exposing a weakness. Classic mistake! The light heavyweight champion doesn’t shrink from challenges. He weaponizes them. The Brazilian juggernaut, known for turning disrespect into dynamite, met the Russian’s provocation with a simple, lethal response: Yes.

“You know, I saw that he was talking about me being able to withstand him for twenty-five minutes. And, you know, I think that he’s the one that should be worried about the time because if he can’t grapple with me for twenty-five minutes, he’s gonna have to stand up with me. And everyone knows what’s gonna happen then. So, you know, I’m really excited about this fight and I can’t wait to see what happens,” Pereira told veteran MMA journalist Kevin Iole through a translator.

Although he might not seem like it at first glance, Pereira has a petty side—and he isn’t afraid to show it. From pretending to fall asleep during Anthony Smith’s UFC 301 walkout to mocking Jamahal Hill with the infamous ‘Khaby Lame’ celebration after knocking him out, ‘Poatan’ knows how to troll those he feels have wronged him. Whether it’s mind games or just his way of having fun, the Brazilian isn’t above a little disrespect when the moment calls for it.

Coming back to the striking vs. wrestling debate. Well, to be fair, Pereira may surprise Ankalaev on the ground. The last time we saw the light heavyweight champ against a grappler was at UFC 291 where former champ Jan Blachowicz gave him hell. But since then, ‘Poatan’ has earned a BJJ black belt and has added Dillon Danis to his team to sharpen his grappling.

But realistically, chances are ‘Poatan’ will find himself outmatched on the ground by Ankalaev. However, no one, not even the Dagestani will deny, that if Pereira can keep the fight mostly to stand up, Ankalaev is in a lot of trouble. While the Russia-born challenger is a pretty good striker and does most of his work on the feet, is he Alex Pereira-level good? Almost everybody would say no. But undefeated UFC featherweight star Movsar Evloev disagrees!

Movsar Evloev explains why Magomed Ankalaev beats Alex Pereira on the feet

Movsar Evloev thinks that the ‘holes’ in Alex Pereira’s defense may prove fatal against his Russian compatriot. “Pereira doesn’t usually defend himself very well,” the featherweight fighter explained. “Because he believes in his power, and he just goes through. But Ankalaev is different. He has high-level skills and big experience of amateur MMA. And he’s a monster in professional MMA. So, we’ll see the next champion this weekend,” Evloev told Jake Noecker in a recent interview.

‘Poatan’ famously keeps his hands low and does a few things like backing up in a straight line, which many consider ‘technically incorrect’. But then again, that is his unique style of fighting, which he has deliberately developed over time, and has worked wonders for him so far. So relying on those ‘holes’ may not be a good idea for Ankalaev. On the other hand, there is merit to what the surging 145fer is saying.

Ankalaev is an extremely smart striker, who has a fondness for perfectly timed counters. Combined with his nifty footwork, excellent distance management, and solid defense, the Dagestani is more than capable of giving Pereira problems on the feet, too. Will he? Well, we will have to wait until this Saturday to find out. What do you think about Alex Perereira’s aforementioned comments about Magomed Ankalaev?