Alex Pereira’s rise in the UFC has been nothing short of spectacular. Since his debut in November 2021, he has won titles in two divisions, knocked out elite competition, and become one of the biggest stars in the sport. But not everyone is sold on his dominance. Michael Bisping, for instance, has reasons to be less than impressed.
According to Bisping, while Pereira’s accomplishments are undeniably impressive, the level of competition he has faced hasn’t been as strong as some might think. However, the former middleweight champ thinks that could change with Pereira’s next fight against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 on March 8.
Ankalaev has long been touted as a big test for Pereira. The light heavyweight champion, despite having already defended his title thrice last year, has yet to square up against true grapplers. That’s something Bisping reminded everyone while analyzing Pereira’s past opponents.
We are talking about fighters including Khalil Rountree Jr., Jiří Procházka and Jamahal Hill. Bisping pointed out that while they were solid fighters, they might not be his toughest test at 205 pounds.
“Last fight, Khalil Rountree Jr. — very good fighter, very good striker — but he could probably make 185 pounds. Jiri Prochazka, he was talking about going down to 185 pounds,” Bisping said.
And as for former light heavyweight champion Hill, Bisping believes that despite his impressive credentials, he was never a match for Pereira’s skills. Enter Ankalaev.
Bisping said that Ankalaev is a natural 205-pounder and is simply on another level in quality. The Russian had a poor debut in the UFC, losing to Paul Craig in 2018. But for six long years since then, he has not been defeated. And, at this stage in his career, the light heavyweight title is all that the 32-year-old wants.
Ankalaev needs it to cement his legacy in the promotion and mixed martial arts. “This is the one, this is the life-changer. This is the moment he has been training for ever since he started,” Bisping said, emphasizing the importance the bout against Pereira holds for the challenger.
“All good wins, but none of them like Magomed Ankalaev. He is representing the nation of Dagestan. We know how proud and patriotic they are. We know how disciplined they are and how seriously they take this game,” Bisping added.
Ankalaev has been chasing this title for almost a year now. But Pereira has been playing a cat-and-mouse game with him. From calling him boring and blaming it on the UFC for not matching them up yet to allegations of disrespect, the champion has cited many things while managing to evade Ankalev.
But on March 8, the two will be locked in a cage for five rounds, and Ankalaev has predicted that Pereira will have to fight for his life for these 25 minutes.
Anklaev fires a warning shot
Despite the approaching fight, Pereira was seen in Australia just a few days ago, having fun hanging out with the rapper, Drake. This led to UFC veterans like Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen questioning his seriousness about the title fight.
Pereira responded to the veterans by posting a video of himself in training, working on the grappling side of his game. “Don’t worry D.C. (Daniel Cormier) we’re over here working,” wrote the champ in the post.
Alex Pereira responds to DC pic.twitter.com/QTMvuK5ae0
— Dovy (@DovySimuMMA) February 22, 2025
A few days later, Pereira posted another video of him working out with former light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira. The pair was seen grappling in the snow in the video. Ankalaev chose this video to let the champion know what it was going to be like inside the octagon when the gates locked behind them.
“I hope you’re ready to do this for 25 mins,” he warned Pereira.
While courting Pereira for the last 12 months, Ankalaev had claimed that he would stand and trade strikes with the champion if that’s what he wanted. With the bout approaching, that could be a real tactic the challenger employs along with takedowns and some hard grappling, of course.
