UFC 313 is just four days away. Alex Pereira will step into the octagon for the first time this year against Magomed Ankalaev to once again defend his light heavyweight title. The Russian will leave no stone unturned in order to snatch away the title in a bout that could be considered a masterclass for striking. However, if ‘Poatan’ successfully wins, he will virtually have no competitors in the top 5, except for Aleksandar Rakić. Perhaps then, Dana White might allow him to move to the heavyweight division.

Speaking of heavyweight, Jon Jones has a message for the Brazilian. You see, Alex Pereira shared a sparring video on Instagram. Fans saw him punch, kick, and duck while moving forward: All skills he will need to use against Ankalaev, who has a 19-1 record. He has won ten fights via KO/TKO and nine through decisions. On the other hand, the champion also won ten fights via KO/TKO and two through decisions. Seeing the training clip, ‘Bones’ wrote:

“Alex looks ready.” It is surely a big compliment coming from Jones, considering they have been interested in facing each other. If we go back to Nov. 2024, Jones stated: “I think that fight [Pereira] would do much more for my legacy than a young man [Aspinall] who is cool today and maybe gone tomorrow.” Well, we do not know if White wants this super fight to take place, but walking into UFC 313, Pereira has received a big compliment from the heavyweight champion. That being said, has Jones missed out on one aspect?

In a video posted by ‘Verdict MMA’ on Instagram, Alex Pereira was seen checking his weight. The post was captioned: “Alex Pereira shared his weight just a few days out from weigh ins. He currently weighs 103.2KG or 227.5lbs, meaning he will have to cut 22.5 pounds by Friday.” For some fans, this could be a cause of concern because he will have to shed a lot of weight in a short amount of time. But the good part is that the fighter has never missed making weight in his MMA career. So MMA fans assume the Brazilian and his team are on the right track.

Fighting in the light-heavyweight division while carrying a weight similar to a heavyweight is quite a troublesome scenario, especially with an upcoming title defense. Did you know that Pereira’s walk-around weight is around 224-225 lbs?

Similarly, Magomed Ankalaev will also have a hard time inside the Octagon since he is fasting due to Ramadan. While having a conversation with the media, Ankalaev emphasized that he took the fight without his wish: “Of course this is a problem, but we had no other choice. The UFC 313 was being left without the main event. And an opportunity like this?! We didn’t want to fight this month with Ramadan at all, and it turned out the way it turned out. We couldn’t move it.”

“I think it’s not his wish [Pereira]. It’s the UFC that decided this way. There was no one to fight for the belt in my opinion. I don’t know.”

Despite his problems, Dominick Cruz believes that the Dagestani has an opportunity to claim victory against the Brazilian. Why is that?

Dominick Cruz lays down the plan for Magomed Ankalaev’s victory against Alex Pereira

Alex Pereira has been an unstoppable force within the UFC, having conquered two divisions. The Glory Kickboxing Hall of Famer has been ruthless in his approach against his opponents. However, despite his amazing fighting career, Pereira has yet to test his skills against a true wrestler and UFC 313 might be a card that could give the Brazilian a hard time.

While conversing with Helen Yee, Dominick Cruz highlighted that the fight might turn the other way around if Magomed Ankalaev used his wrestling.

“And he says he’s[Magomed Ankalaev] going to strike, but I hope not to be honest because you want to see Pereira really challenged, and I think the best way that Ankalaev can challenge him is by mixing the striking and the wrestling together. There’s a beauty to see alone in just that, mixing of the two arts rather than I’m just going to wrestle him, or I’m just going to strike with him. I think that’s the key to beating somebody like Pereira,” said Dominick Cruz.

While the Russian is primarily a striker, he can wrestle too. Let us not forget that in one of their previous fights, Israel Adesanya was able to take down and control Pereira. So, Ankalaev could attempt to do something similar and smother Pereira on the ground.

It is quite difficult to defeat Pereira standing, considering the fact that the Brazilian has knocked the lights out of Israel Adesanya, Jamahal Hill, and Jiri Prochazka while on the other hand, Magomed Ankalaev’s best win was against Jhonny Walker. Given that, what are your thoughts on the fight? State your opinion in the comments below.