Don’t blame Alex Pereira for the UFC’s choice to have him combat Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 as an alternative of Magomed Ankalaev.
That was mild heavyweight champion’s opinion of the scenario when requested by Kevin Iole why he was preventing the No. 8 ranked Rountree as an alternative of No. 2 ranked Ankalaev in Salt Lake Metropolis on October fifth. There’s been a number of chatter within the sport on the choice, and it’s one which “Poatan” says was fully out of his heavy arms. As an alternative, he blames Ankalaev … and Ankalaev’s supervisor Ali Abdelaziz.
“Even his supervisor — tremendous famend man, man well-known within the MMA world — goes and says, ‘Oh, this man’s not going to combat. Go discuss to Dana White,’” Pereira mentioned by his translator. “However Dana White don’t wish to make the match-up. Then [Adbelaziz] goes and says that the actual fact Ankalaev will not be preventing for the title is a joke. It was like clown stuff.”
“So now the UFC is pissed. Why? As a result of the UFC and Dana White and the blokes that determine, in order that they’re a joke? They’re a clown? They’re a circus? So that you’ve obtained to kind that with the group.”
Even when the UFC isn’t in a tiff with Abdelaziz, who manages a number of of the highest fighters within the group, Pereira believes Ankalaev’s less-than-exciting performances not too long ago play an enormous think about UFC 307’s reserving choice.
“Truthfully, it’s not my fault that Ankalaev has such a boring fashion of preventing that no person needs to look at, that the blokes don’t wish to put him in,” he mentioned. “I’m able to combat the man. He’s able to combat me. So each time they put that combat. Individuals discuss my floor, so there’s a superb probability I’m going to point out everyone.”
Pereira fights Rountree this coming weekend and Ankalaev faces Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 on October twenty eighth. If each males win, there’s an excellent probability they’ll find yourself being their subsequent opponent. However with the star of “Poatan” rising, Ankalaev will want a superb efficiency if he needs the followers to get excited for a showdown.
In any other case there are many different massive cash choices for the Brazilian striker, ones the UFC would undoubtedly favor in the event that they aren’t proven a cause to alter their minds.
