Magomed Ankalaev, typically reserved, was vocal at the UFC 313 pre-fight press conference, confidently asserting that he will defeat Alex Pereira and change the crowd’s allegiance by the end of the fight, despite Pereira’s dominance as a two-division champion.
Magomed Ankalaev isn’t typically known for trash talk, but he had a lot to say to Alex Pereira at the UFC 313 pre-fight press conference. The usually reserved Russian was surprisingly vocal, even as the crowd favored his opponent. Ankalaev seemed unfazed by the boos, smiling and promising to change the chants by Saturday night.
“I’d like to say that I see in this fight everyone is against me,” Ankalaev said. “Everyone is saying ‘Chama! Chama! Chama!’ But guess what? Chama time is over. After this Saturday night, after the fight, you will all love me.”
“The same people that are saying Chama now are going to be saying No Chama! It’s Ankalaev time.”
‘Chama’ is a word Pereira popularized during his impressive UFC run, where he became a two-division champion with three title defenses in the light heavyweight division. Despite his dominance, Pereira is barely favored to win against Ankalaev, who many believe is his toughest challenge yet.
Ankalaev boasts a 19-1 record with one no contest, including 10 knockouts and a combat sambo background. His size and power could pose significant problems for Pereira. This reputation has cemented him as the true No. 1 contender after his previous attempt at becoming champion ended in a split draw with Jan Blachowicz in 2022.
That setback made Ankalaev work harder for another title shot, and he thinks Pereira should appreciate that fact. “I wasn’t upset about the last fight,” Ankalaev said. “I have nobody to blame, it’s just myself. We saw the fight. The whole world saw the fight but it happened the way it happened. Now it’s a whole different ballgame.”
“You know what? Honestly, [Pereira] should say thank you to Dana White for protecting him this whole time. Now it’s going to be a whole different thing.”
Even with the crowd’s noise, Ankalaev answered questions from Russian media, including one about beating Pereira so badly he might return to his old job at a tire shop in Brazil. Ankalaev laughed before responding.
“We’re planning on absolutely dominating him on Saturday,” Ankalaev said. “We’re going to make sure that Chama has no chances on Saturday. Whether or not he stays in the sport or decides to go back to the tire shop, that’s going to be up to him.”
As for what comes next after UFC 313, Ankalaev isn’t thinking ahead until he gets through Pereira. Given Pereira’s status as a dominant champion, an immediate rematch could be possible regardless of the outcome.
“For now we’re not concentrating on what’s going to happen afterwards,” Ankalaev said. “Right now, we’ve got a fight in front of us. Let’s go out there, let’s win and then afterwards we’ll think about who’s going to get the rematch or what.”