"LAS VEGAS -- Jorge Guimarães knew there was something truly off when former UFC middleweight and then-light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira actually complained about the way he was feeling ahead of his title defense against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 in March. Guimarães, Pereira's manager, has been with him for countless fights and knows it's not unusual -- common, in fact -- for Pereira to be dealing with some sort of injury going in. Injuries are normal, but Pereira making a fuss about them is not."
"Pereira (12-3) surrendered the light heavyweight championship to Ankalaev (21-1-1) by unanimous decision in an effort many observers saw as one of his worst in the UFC. The former two-weight champion in kickboxing and MMA will look to avenge that loss Saturday, when he meets Ankalaev in an immediate rematch at UFC 320 in Las Vegas (ESPN PPV, 10 p.m. ET). It will be the first time since 2023 that Pereira is the betting underdog (+210 by ESPN BET)."
Jorge Guimarães noticed Alex Pereira unusually complaining about how he felt before the UFC 313 title defense, which stood out because Pereira rarely voices complaints except during weight cuts. Pereira surrendered the light heavyweight championship to Magomed Ankalaev by unanimous decision in a performance widely regarded as one of his worst in the UFC. Pereira is a former two-weight champion in kickboxing and MMA and will attempt to avenge the loss in an immediate rematch at UFC 320 in Las Vegas. Pereira enters the rematch as a betting underdog for the first time since 2023.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]