After the title fight opportunity was confirmed at UFC 313, Magomed Ankalaev sent a very harsh message to champion Alex Pereira

Magomed Ankalaev: Alex Pereira just “signed his death certificate” at UFC 313.

The fight between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev has been announced for UFC 313 on March 8, 2025. Immediately, both fighters have continued to make heated moves, with Magomed Ankalaev being the more aggressive of the two.

In response to Pereira’s brief message “See you, Ankalaev” on his personal page, the Dagestan fighter fired back with harsh words: “You just signed your death certificate. I will punish you for avoiding me, making you look like a tire repairman rather than a professional fighter.”

Magomed Ankalaev continues to make strong statements about Alex Pereira

The long wait might be the reason behind Magomed Ankalaev’s attitude towards the champion. However, Alex Pereira has clarified the situation surrounding his new fight schedule.

“I said I wanted to take some time off, but I went back to training and felt really good. I started noticing progress, so I called my manager and said, ‘I want to fight, in March, I want to fight Ankalaev.’ I know he keeps talking, but I’m just a UFC employee, I’ll fight whenever they want. But I asked for this fight, I told them when I wanted it.”

“He’s as dangerous as any opponent I’ve ever faced. Looking at him and the way he fights, he’s still just an ordinary guy. Of course, he has his weapons and his own danger, but I’ve trained hard enough, I’ve made enough progress to be ready for Ankalaev. Now it’s his chance, I’ll fight him. But after that, if everything goes well, we should give Jiri a chance, that’s what he wants and he will get it.”

Alex Pereira still maintains a superior attitude towards his opponent

In 2024, fans from both sides had intense debates about whether UFC was “protecting” Alex Pereira or “avoiding” Magomed Ankalaev by matching him with lower-ranked opponents. Another point of contention was Ankalaev’s demand to fight in Abu Dhabi, considered a home venue for Muslim fighters, which prevented a final agreement between the two fighters.

But now, Ankalaev will have the chance to respond to his earlier statements.

“All the guys in the Top 5 have been eliminated, I am the best light heavyweight fighter in the world, no one is on my level, and now I’m going to fight the champion. I believe he won’t make me feel fear like the others.”

“Everyone, trust me, I will knock out Alex Pereira without needing to take him to the ground. His chin is gone, even though I know he’s still dangerous… I don’t need wrestling, I have enough striking skills to test his chin. I believe I will knock him out.”

After witnessing Alex Pereira overcome some of the most dangerous and technically skilled strikers in his weight class, fans have always believed that “Po Atan” is very difficult to defeat as long as he remains standing. Now, Magomed Ankalaev must deliver on his promises if he doesn’t want to put himself in a position of “avoiding” the champion when the two step into the octagon.