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It was announced on Saturday that Pereira will defend his light heavyweight crown against Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC 313 headliner on March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. While Pereira has been accused of avoiding the fight by his opponent, he claims that he requested to face the Dagestani light heavyweight.
“I did say that I wanted to take a break, but I started training again. I started feeling good. I started seeing my evolution,” Pereira told ESPN through a translator. “So I called my managers right away and I said, ‘I want to fight. I want to fight in March. I want to fight Ankalaev.’ I know he keeps saying that I’m a just an employee of the UFC, I fight whenever they want, but I asked for him. I told them when I want to fight.”
Ankalaev will enter the bout on a 13-bout unbeaten streak in UFC competition. The 32-year-old is coming off a unanimous decision triumph over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 last October. Though Ankalaev was viewed as the No. 1 contender before Pereira was booked against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307, “Poatan” doesn’t see the challenger anything special.
“He’s as dangerous as any other fighter I’ve fought,” Pereira said. “Looking at him, the way that he fights, he’s an ordinary guy. Of course he has his weapons, he has his dangers, but I’ve been training hard. I’ve evolved a lot, and I’m ready for him.”
Ankalaev, who has been eagerly awaiting his championship opportunity, issued a warning to Pereira via social media.
“You just [signed] your death certificate,” Ankalaev wrote. I’m gonna punish you for ducking me, and I’m gonna make you look like a guy [who works] in a tire shop, not [a] professional fighter.”
Pereira also came away impressed with former foe Jiri Prochazka, who scored a third-round TKO against Jamahal Hill at UFC 311. Though he has twice been finished by Pereira, Prochazka made it clear that he wants a trilogy against the Brazilian striker. Pereira is also open to that possibility, if the situation is right.
“I’m ready to fight anybody. It doesn’t matter who it is,” Pereira said. “Right now, it’s Ankalaev’s time. I’m going to fight Ankalaev. But after this fight, [if] everything’s doing good, we’re going to give Jiri an opportunity. That’s what he said that he wants, and he’s going to have it.”
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