LAS VEGAS – Alex Pereira dismisses Tom Aspinall‘s notion that he’s had an easy road in the UFC.
Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) defended his light heavyweight title three times with knockouts over Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree before running into Magomed Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC) at UFC 313.
UFC heavyweight champion Aspinall argued that Pereira had favorable stylistic matchups before Ankalaev eventually dethroned him.
“I think the matchups were quite favorable to him up until (Ankalaev),” Aspinall told TNT Sports. “I think the threat that Ankalaev brings in, him being a southpaw, him controlling the range really well, and him just with the threat of the takedowns (is too much for Pereira).
“Even in the first fight we didn’t really see him really go for the takedowns too much, but I think just the threat being there, I think stylistically he’s a bad matchup for Pereira, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he does it again.”
Pereira, who runs things back with Ankalaev in Saturday’s UFC 320 headliner (pay-per-view, FX/ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, responded to Aspinall’s claims.
“We’re talking about the biggest organization in the world,” Pereira told MMA Junkie and other media through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “I’m a guy who comes from kickboxing. I had no grappling experience. (I had) little experience in MMA. We’re talking about the highest level of the sport. If you were to put the worst guy in the UFC against me, I would be at a disadvantage (in MMA), so that makes no sense.”
