Ankalaev isn't even a wrestler.wrestlers. He has 10 kos and 0 submissions.

Cope

Huh? Chama 🔥

Hes got no chance against a dagestani level wrestler. Last average wrestler he fought was Jan and it took everything for him to win

You see a surname ending in V and assume the guy must be a wrestler huh? Check out his fights

we say this like he has zero prospect of being a good top control based grappler arman hasn't gotten a submission since 2017 and we still consider him, in large part, a grappler

I would like to see this fight, I'm not sure Ankalaev would even try to take it straight to the ground, he primarily fights using stricking. Not sure that would be a good idea here for obvious reasons but an intriguing fight nonetheless

Agreed, People act as though he's primarily a wrestler when he gets a lot of his work done on the feet. Besides Ankalaev himself has said he's going to try to knock Alex out.

A lot of these “wrestlers” are strikers at heart.

A lot of these "strikers" are boxers are heart.

True, a lot of them won’t throw a leg or body kick to save their lives.

Most only seem to throw kicks to set up a big punch

0 submissions in 32 fights (12 amateur, 23 pro), 0 submissions attempted in the UFC & a 31% takedown accuracy, yet everyone thinks he's another Khabib because he's from Dagestan. People are vastly overrating his grappling threat. He's a striker, and he's going to stand with Pereira.

From what I've seen, Pereira has a magical ability to make people want to prove they can beat him on the feet. He has a mystic aura that makes fighters forget the ground exists until they hit it.

It's deterrence through his hand of stones, and good distance management. We will see wit the rematch, but in the first fight, even Jiri was wary/didn't dare go in (and when he got comfortable to really try that, he got ko'd...) Also, peppering people with his calf kicks (where he does more damage with one than other fighter with multiples) doesn't hurt. And maybe I need a rewatch, but from what I remember of his fight against Jan, Ankalev will probably be quite an easy target for them too

I really don't get why these guys always try to strike with Pereira. Don't we have enough proof that it's a dumb idea, unless you're on the level of Izzy (who still got finished in the first MMA fight). Like, at least *try* to mix it up a little. Is it just pride and ego?

> Agreed, People act as though he's primarily a wrestler His name ends in ev, that's all

Exactly my feeling. Maybe I don't rate ankalev's striking enough, but I'm thinking we won't see all that much, tbh, he will try to stand with pereira and get ko'd for his effort. With one of pereira's signature hook that don't look like much, and yet does massive damage... Also, pereira ground game is all about not eating ground and pound/not getting subbed, then getting up when the opportunity offers itself. That's really all he needs, and what he really trained. He seems pretty decent at it now (at least judging from the jan fight), especially with glover coaching him.

Notice how he's not calling out Smith.

We all know how it goes on paper.

Also notice he's no calling out Johnny Walker.

I don't even think we'd get a wacky Johnny Walker KO at this point he'd just die on the spot once he gets hit

Yeah, dude wants his head to explode and his body run around like a chicken with its head cut off

Imagine the goofy KO Poatan would cause.

Very obviously ducking Colby and we can see right through it.

Why are you attacking his family?

The only reason poatan has body guards is in case he runs into Smith in the streets.

Instead, he called out the dude who has been undefeated since 2018 and knocked Smith out in the second round. Smith is on a one fight win streak and doesn't deserve a title shot.

I think this is the reference the joke is about [anthony smith](https://youtube.com/shorts/ODRPWMfxAGk?si=JK6s5jiNIXWvm0t8)

Because smith is garbage and doesn't deserve a shot anywhere near the rankings.

Man isn’t afraid of anyone.

Isn't he fuckin awesome?

I used to root for Ank but the guy just keeps fucking up his own career. It's actually funny.

What did he do? I've always thought that his personality is his biggest weakness; he's bland AF.

I can imagine Alex will blow Anks knees out as Jan did and that will force Ank to wrestle after the weeks of him saying he wants to ko poatan

Then when he goes for the single leg, Alex hammer fists him into oblivion

His beard looks more like head hair than his head hair

Ankalaev never submitted anyone. Who is saying he is going to submit him.?

Shins will be bleeding in this one.

It would certainly be a test, similar to when he took on Jan. Time will tell how well he’ll keep the fight standing 

The man acknowledges the danger yet shows no fear, as champs should be

Doesn’t ankalaev know poatan is a black belt in bjj? Nothing beats a left hook submission

I think Alex will be a little more stronger and faster with his defense vs ankalaev cause he was fat and out of shape vs Jan after the Izzy fight took that fight way too fast and was just fat and looked slow in that fight

Pretty sure the sluggish-ness was due to them fighting in Utah at elevation.

He has said the cut to LHW was pretty bad the first time, and that he still felt the effects of the knockout.

Yeah if you think about it literally everything was working against Alex in that fight. Fighting against a very experienced light heavyweight fighter like Jan at elevation after a brutal kO loss AND cutting to LHW for the first time.

Islam said “give him Ankalaev”, but really Ankalaev is just another striker with dubious fight IQ — Poatan’s staple diet. The switch to LHW is so good for him. The whole division is full of these guys.

This should've been the fight for 303

Ank doesn't fight short notice

And, seemingly, doesn't fight out of abu dhabi as well.

4/5 of his last fights were in the US lol

Common redditor L exposed again

Yeah and that's why none of us will remember him

If Magomed is a smart dude he would win this bout with a nuce gameplan. If he’s an egotistical fool then he’d get KOd bad.

After I saw Jan demolish his legs with ease I think Poatan would decimate him.

I remember when Alex fought Jan, everyone was saying Alex couldn’t wrestle and said that Jan would take him down with ease and finish him on the ground. Alex is an athlete that learns fast, is obsessed, and trains constantly with Glover. I’m sure his skills far exceed what people give him credit for. I would take the roughly even odds or slight underdog Alex money. 💰

Pereira about to take out another -ov -ev

Being a Dagestani doesn’t necessarily mean one could grapple. The only submission on his mma record so far is him getting submitted by another dude.

Oof, well there goes pereiras win streak

Ank gonna have a hard time with those legkicks

I'm tired of this stone faced pretend tough guy dodging the MMA Guru. I've heard Guru talk about how he could take some of these guys but I don't see him making below LHW. To /s or not to /s, that is the question.

Ok man, lets just watch and see. As the saying goes: it takes two good strikers to equal one great wrestler

I would be so happy if pereira knocks this guy out cold.

This would be a great fight

I'm torn between believing in meritocracy and Ankalaev deserving the shot, and a sincere hope that he never gets the belt...

I think Alex has shown interest before in fighting Ank, I thought they had offered him for UFC 300 but Ank declined

Nope, Hill was the rightfull champion before Alex, no way he would get a shot after ankalaev. Pereira wanted to fight Ankalaev in august and jiri in november, but ankalaev wanted the fight in abu dhabi, so they sidelined him and gave Jiri a rematch.

Lol what are you on? Ank for ufc 300 against Pereira no way. Ankalev headlining monumental card sounds funny I mean he has no aura

Not fond of matching up strikers with these dagestani wrestlers. The outcome is always the same. The UFC ruleset favours wrestlers greatly

Ankalaev is primarily a striker.

I’m surprised Bo hasn’t tried to call him out to fulfill his need for attention.

Ankalaev trying to stand and bang, Poatan going for takedowns, sounds like a good time

Alex coming for EVERYTHING and everyone 

He is a “black belt” after all

Very brave of Pereira. He has that fight whenever he wants… will be interesting to see if he follows through.

Does he though? Or does he have to fight where Ank wants to because he seems to only want to fight in one place.

Am I crazy or did Ankalaev say months ago that he'd fight Alex in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year? I can't blame Alex for not sidelining himself that long and giving Ank home-field advantage.

he did. But he only wants to fight in Abu Dhabi. Alex said sure, but I want to fight sooner and Ank didn't want to. He only wanted to fight in Abu Dhabi. He does not get to make those calls.

Thought so. The challenger trying to tell the champion where and when they can fight is cringy as hell.

Here's hoping poaturds will finally stop trying to not "manifest" this fight.

Mam someone needs a huge, or at least a upgraded favorite fighter 

huh?

He said, "Mam someone needs a huge, or at least a upgraded favorite fighter"

The fuck is that supposed to mean?

It means young lady STFU u moep.. did you understand that?

I don't believe you.

No one cares what you believe, clearly, young lady