The highly anticipated fight between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev is scheduled for Saturday night in Las Vegas. They will compete for the light heavyweight title at UFC 313 in T-Mobile Arena. A high-ranking UFC fighter believes there’s only one way for Ankalaev to win at UFC 313.
Caio Borralho, a successful middleweight fighter, trained with Pereira in Brazil. Borralho was impressed by Pereira’s grappling skills during their training sessions.
“We trained grappling, and I was surprised by his progress in that area,” Borralho told MMA Fighting. “He understands grappling, knows the risks, and defends well. His strength and size make training with him challenging in all aspects – jiu-jitsu, wrestling, etc. He’s very competitive and knows how to train and teach. It was a valuable experience for our team.”
Borralho mentioned learning striking techniques from Pereira and had his coach Pablo Sucupira train with Pereira as well. Pereira has since returned to his camp for UFC 313. Borralho, who will be at the event to support his teammate Mauricio Ruffy, expects a tough fight.
“It will be a difficult fight for both fighters,” Borralho stated. “Pereira has knockout power against anyone. Ankalaev’s only chance to win is by controlling him for five rounds. Submitting Pereira will be very difficult.”
Some experts believe Ankalaev’s wrestling poses a significant challenge for Pereira, who has a strong knockout record in light heavyweight. Pereira has gone to decision only once in this weight class, where he was taken down multiple times against Jan Blachowicz in 2023.
“Pereira will anticipate takedowns,” Borralho commented. “He is intelligent and might concede position to bait Ankalaev into submission attempts, creating opportunities to escape back to his feet. He has excellent timing for this. I saw it in training. His takedown defense is strong.”
“I think Ankalaev can take him down, but it will be harder than people think. I believe it will be a close fight, but Ankalaev’s only path to victory is to stall for five rounds. Otherwise, Alex will win.”
