Magomed Ankalaev’s Coach Calls Alex Pereira 'An Old Kickboxer' Ahead of UFC 320

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It appears that Magomed Ankalaev’s team isn’t especially wary of Alex Pereira’s striking ahead of their light heavyweight championship rematch at UFC 320.

Ankalaev defeated Pereira via unanimous decision to capture the 205-pound belt in their first meeting at UFC 313 this past March. While “Poatan” is a former Glory two-division champion and the more decorated striker, Ankalaev outlanded his opponent by a 94-to-76 count in significant strikes in the bout.

Coach: Ankalaev a Better Striker Than ‘Poatan’

On the “UFC 320 Countdown” show, Ankalaev’s coach, Sukhrab Magomedov, dismissed the Brazilian’s standup as an advantage in the rematch.

“Alex will go for the clinch, wrestle. Why? Because in the stand-up, nothing will work out for him. Alex Pereira, there’s nothing with which he can surprise us,” Magomedov said. “Not his work in the stand-up, in wrestling he definitely cannot surprise. He cannot surprise with anything. His technique is standard, his strikes are standard. He’s an old kickboxer. He has no speed. Powerful punch? Alex has a punch, but not the kind that can really knock you out.

“And I tell everyone, if Magomed opens up, he’ll surprise everyone, and can even outplay, in pure standup, a better striker than Alex Pereira.”

Ankalaev is unbeaten in his last 14 outings, though that run does include a no contest against Johnny Walker and a split draw vs. Jan Blachowicz in his first championship opportunity. His record includes other notable wins over the likes of Aleksandar Rakic, Walker, Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, Volkan Oezdemir and Nikita Krylov, among others.

UFC 320 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. The main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+ beginning at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. and also includes a bantamweight title tilt between Merab Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen.