Alex Pereira silenced a lot of doubters at UFC 320 by smashing Magomed Ankalaev to bits in just 80 seconds (watch here).
What’s interesting here is that there were strong reasons to doubt “Poatan” ahead
of the matchup. There was evidence behind the idea that Pereira benefitted from fighting a bunch of 205-pound strikers, and logic supporting the fact that after decades in combat sports, the Brazilian might be slowing down. Older fighters almost never defeat younger fighters in rematches when the younger man won the first fight, and no male UFC champion has ever regained his title in an immediate rematch after losing gold.
I could go on, but trust me when I say Alex Pereira bucked all sorts of precedent with his main event victory. His performance last night lends serious credence to the idea that Pereira came into the first fight injured and ill, far from his best. Usually, we write off post-fight excuses as sour grapes, but can anyone deny “Poatan” was a different man at UFC 320 versus UFC 313?
Part of the joy in watching and analyzing MMA is that it’s remarkably difficult to know just how good a fighter is. The sample sizes are so small. Most of the time, matchups occur just once, and we never know the extent to which injuries or weight cuts play a factor. Fighting is not baseball, where a batter will accrue hundreds of appearances at the plate and produce all kinds of easily digested statistics about how they handle curveballs, sliders, and southpaw closers.
Fighting is foggier. Professional analysts and fans alike are always trying to peer through the chaos and identify where hype ends and actual fighting ability starts. An added complication is that quite often, the better fighter doesn’t actually win. If you don’t believe me on that end, maybe take Merab Dvalishvili’s word — “The Machine” mentioned as much last night in his own post-fight interview while discussing future challengers.
Back to Alex Pereira: just as there was concrete evidence to doubt Pereira’s odds ahead of this rematch, there was reason to believe his championship reign as a whole was a little inflated. After all, “Poatan” was definitely rushed to the top. A single split-decision win over a gassy Jan Blachowicz scored him a title shot in just his second 205-pound fight, and then Pereira — the highly accomplished kickboxer — faced a trio of kickboxers. The first time he faced a well-rounded MMA fighter in his prime with some grappling credentials, he lost a dull fight.
There were two possible explanations, and the simpler one was that Pereira was never that great. He was simply the right man at the right time, a ferocious striker in a post-Jon Jones era where UFC had shipped away most of the Light Heavyweight wrestlers to other promotions.
Last night’s rematch proved the obvious explanation to be wrong. Instead, we have to reckon with the fact that Alex Pereira is that good. Magomed Ankalaev has the pedigree to be champion in any non-Jones era, and “Poatan” unambiguously smoked him. The record may show a tie after two bouts, but nobody who has seen both fights is questioning who’s the better man.
The victory legitimizes Pereira’s championship to an incredible degree. He just thrashed the boogeyman, the fighter he was accused of ducking for years. His takedown defense is proven too. After two bouts, Ankalaev has yet to land a takedown, and we’re in the midst of an era where Combat Sambo fighters are generally dominating the field with their wrestling prowess.
Simply put, if Pereira can destroy Ankalaev in 80 seconds, he could potentially do the same to any other Light Heavyweight champion in UFC history. Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier at their respective peaks will still be favored over the Brazilian in hypothetical discussions of greatness, but there’s now some strong evidence that Pereira could deny their clinches and unleash hell.
There’s no longer any case for tearing down Pereira’s greatness: he’s bona fide among the pantheon of Light Heavyweight greats.
For complete UFC 320 results and play-by-play, click here.
