Magomed Ankalaev is confident about his first title defense after seeing Alex Pereira's training footage.
On October 4, Ankalaev will face Pereira at UFC 320 in Las Vegas.
What happened?
Ankalaev won the light heavyweight title from Pereira at UFC 313 in March.
Why it matters for Magomed Ankalaev
A recent video shows Pereira defending takedowns from multiple training partners.
Ankalaev responded to the clip, saying Pereira is focusing on the wrong aspect of their fight.
He wrote on X: “This guy bring Punch Taxi driver to help him with Wrestling. You don’t need to worry about Wrestling, I’m gonna find this big head again.”
What comes next?
Fans share Ankalaev's sentiment, pointing out that Pereira withstood Ankalaev's takedown attempts in their first fight.
They think Pereira should focus on his striking instead.
On social media, fans commented: “Why tho? Alex literally defended every takedown against him.”
“Ankalaev didn’t land a single takedown in the first fight.”
“Ankalaev is gonna light him up on the feet, not the ground.”
The UFC light heavyweight champion seems to have the upper hand going into the fight.
Ankalaev's performance on the feet paved the way for a unanimous decision victory at UFC 313.
Pereira will need to adjust his strategy if he wants to take the title from Ankalaev.
The fight is scheduled to take place on October 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Ankalaev is ready for his first title defense.
He will face Pereira in the main event of UFC 320.
The event will be a highly anticipated rematch between the two fighters.
Fans are eager to see how Pereira will respond to Ankalaev's criticism.
The training footage has left many puzzled.
Ankalaev's comments have added fuel to the fire.
The stage is set for an exciting fight.
Ankalaev and Pereira will face off on October 4.