“I was offered to Fight Alex international fight week if the man don’t want it, let’s move on. I’m ready for everyone. I dare you.” Alex Pereira’s fight against Magomed Ankalaev was nothing short of a disappointment for ‘Poatan.’ The duo battled for the entire 25 minutes at UFC 313. However, Ankalaev made sure that he outperformed the Brazilian superstar for 5 whole rounds. And in the end, the judges’ decision unanimously put the Russian on the mantle of the light heavyweight champion. But the world of mixed martial arts wasn’t content with the bout. Even Dana White claimed that an immediate rematch was “probably” the next thing in the LHW title picture. But fate had different plans for Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2.
Following the bout at UFC 313, ‘Poatan’ admitted that it wasn’t his best performance. He knew that he had to redeem himself in a rematch against Ankalaev. And after the Russian champion pointed out that he already had an offer to fight the man with the hands of stone in August, Pereira, while talking to Ariel Helwani on his YouTube talk show, confessed, “Nothing got to me yet, but August is a good date. As soon as the contract gets in, I’m signing.” And as we all know, that didn’t really happen. Helwani confirmed that Pereira was actually offered a rematch against Ankalaev at UFC 317. But he didn’t take it up.
You see, the fight fans had already pointed out that Pereira probably didn’t take Ankalaev seriously. Dana White also agreed to the same during the post-fight press conference for UFC 313. He admitted that the former champion was bouncing here and there, even though he knew that Ankalaev was one of the strongest opponents he’d ever faced in the Octagon. And we all know how that turned out.
With nothing but frustration in his mind, the light heavyweight champion lashed out at ‘Poatan’ on multiple occasions. On May 18, 2025, he took to X and wrote, “Alex Pereira don’t want the Ank anymore. Let’s leave him alone because I’m not a bully: Fake ninja he said he have to go back to school because he cannot read [Dana White] [Mick Maynard] give me some fish.” Well, a heavyweight answered Ankalaev’s call for some fish to fight. And it was none other than Jailton Almeida.
The #6 heavyweight contender was quick to swoop down and give a reply to the Russian light heavyweight champion. He even agreed to change his moniker from ‘Malhadinho’ to ‘Fish.’ Tagging the UFC head honcho and Mick Maynard, the Brazilian heavyweight contender replied, “Hello!!! You can call me Jailton “FISH” Almeida .” Of course, Almeida is a pretty good matchup for Ankalaev. He has only one loss in his UFC career, and has won 8 fights in the organization. But getting a heavyweight to drop weight and fight Ankalaev does speak a lot about the Russian, don’t you agree?
Hello!!!
You can call me Jailton “FISH” Almeida @danawhite @Mickmaynard2 https://t.co/yMwWne7BAk
— Jailton Almeida “Malhadinho” (@Malhadinho_UFC) May 18, 2025
While the entire world was asking for a rematch between Pereira and Ankalaev, Chael Sonnen pointed out that it was a bad idea. But why? Is it not entertaining enough to watch the rematch? Let’s see what ‘The American Gangster’ had to say about Pereira vs. Ankalaev 2.
UFC veteran dismisses the idea of Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev 2
During a conversation with Submission Radio, Sonnen revealed, “I’m a very big Alex Pereira fan, on a personal level but also his work inside the cage. I gotta tell you, there is nothing within that first fight, whether illness, injury, or a combination of both, there was nothing about that first fight that would lead a reasonable analyst to believe you’re going to have a different outcome in the second fight.”
This was based on the rumor that Pereira was probably ill during the fight. ‘Poatan’ even confessed to the sickness and claimed that he was almost ready to pull out of UFC 313. However, he simply cannot take the win away from the Russian champ. For now, all he can do is actually prepare for the rematch and take his throne back. But Sonnen came in with a reality check.
‘The Bad Guy’ continued, “That first fight was four to one. It was four rounds to one. It really was not overly competitive. There were some [good] things done by Pereira, such as stopping the takedowns. We didn’t know he had this ability. It was a pretty slow pace, and there wasn’t a lot done. I’m just suggesting there was nothing we saw, even at a slow pace, even at a drawn-down action-packed night or lack thereof, there’s nothing to believe that rounds six, seven, eight, nine, and 10 are going to be any different.”
Nevertheless, Pereira did agree to fight Ankalaev again. He promised, “I’m going to make some adjustments for the rematch, and I’ll be back much better, you can count on it. Never give up on your dreams. Chama.” Now, the question that remained was: Will the rematch happen soon? Or will we have to watch Ankalaev vs. Almeida first?
What are your thoughts on the matchup between Almeida and Ankalaev? Do you think Pereira can reclaim the light heavyweight championship title anytime soon? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
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