Today, at UFC 313, Alex Pereira‘s journey as the 205lbs gold standard came to an unexpected halt as he faced Magomed Ankalaev inside the T-Mobile Arena. To everyone’s surprise, the Dagestani juggernaut outclassed the Brazilian on the feet which made Pereira hesitant to go all out throughout five rounds. While the former champ showed resilience, he struggled to find his rhythm, failing to land his signature and concussive left hook. During the post-fight presser, Dana White himself commented, “It was not what I expected.”

Although the Brazilian defended all 11 of Ankalaev’s takedown attempts, the judge’s scorecards were pretty evident as to the kind of performance Pereira had put on. With the official scrolls reading 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47 in favor of Ankalaev, he made history by becoming the third fighter from Dagestan after Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev to stamp his name on UFC gold. And after such a dominant reign, it is only natural to question Pereira’s outing in the lackluster affair.

On his YouTube channel, UFC veteran Michael Bisping didn’t hold back in his assessment of Pereira’s performance, calling it “lazy,” and questioning whether the Brazilian truly had the desire to win. The former 185lbs champ stated, “I didn’t see that real desire to want to win. Ankalaev was big, strong, and skilled enough to compete on the feet, and of course, he had the takedown threat. Even though he didn’t get the takedown, the threat of it was there.” He concluded with a hard-hitting truth: “You don’t win a fight by defending takedowns.”

But is Bisping’s remark about Pereira’s “desire” accurate? Looking back at the past month, it certainly seems so. In just under four years of his UFC career, Alex Pereira had solidified his name among the greats, earning a reputation alongside fighters like Jon Jones and Conor McGregor, both considered faces of the UFC. Yet, last month, while Ankalaev put everything into the fight prep, the Brazilian seemed more focused on enjoying his time cornering his former rival-turned-friend, Sean Strickland at UFC 312.

Even after the event, the former champion seemed unfazed and spent considerable time in Australia. Meanwhile, UFC veteran Daniel Cormier continued to warn him about the looming threat of Magomed Ankalaev. “This dude (Pereira) was seen in Australia last week still, and he was shaking the hand of Drake as Drake went on stage for his concert,” Cormier said on the Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast with Chael Sonnen. “But what is Pereira still doing in Australia? He fights in two weeks! Ankalaev’s already here, he’s in Vegas, I ran into him at the UFC PI last week. He is honestly so locked in, ready to win this fight against Alex Pereira.”

The former double champ further added, “I got back from Australia, and all last week I’m up at 3 o’clock in the morning. I don’t care that Pereira’s got weeks to get ready, he’s going to be ready, he’s going to be prepared, but even those two to three extra days when he’s adjusting his clock to get back on schedule in Connecticut, then once he’s done in Connecticut to fly to Vegas the week of the fight, get adjusted to two more hours, he’s going to have to deal with all that travel and all that difference in time.”

With the disappointment now handed to the Brazilian, the close result has set the stage for a potential rematch between the two 205-pound contenders. So, what’s Dana White’s take on it? Let’s take a look.

What’s Dana White’s take on Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev 2.0?

After transitioning to MMA, Alex Pereira has only suffered one loss in his UFC career—by knockout to his arch-nemesis Israel Adesanya in their rematch for the title at UFC 287 in 2023. Since then, ‘Poatan’ moved up to the light heavyweight division, where he has faced top contenders like Jiri Prochazka twice, Jan Blachowicz, and others. However, at UFC 313, Magomed Ankalaev did exactly what he vowed to do in the UFC Embedded video—he took Pereira into “deep waters” and snatched his title in the process.

However, the Russian’s strategy of controlling Pereira against the cage drew significant criticism. Fans and analysts, including former UFC fighter Brendan Schaub, slammed the judge’s decision, calling it “garbage” and insisting the Brazilian “clearly won 3rd round.” Fans on social media also called the result a “robbery,” with many pointing fingers at veteran referee Marc Goddard and the judges.

Despite the lackluster performance, ‘Poatan’ accepted his loss and praised Magomed Ankalaev’s victory. He acknowledged that his own performance was “boring.” Nevertheless, as with all closely contested bouts, the possibility of a rematch remains on the table. During the post-fight obligations, a reporter asked Dana White, “Do you lean towards an immediate rematch?” White responded with the possibility of a rematch, stating, “Probably.”

What are your thoughts on Michael Bisping’s comments? Do you agree that Pereira lacked the desire to win, or do you think there were other factors at play? If a rematch between Pereira and Ankalaev does happen, do you believe the Brazilian can reclaim his belt? Share your thoughts below.