UFC 320: Alex Pereira full media day interview
UFC 320 headliner Alex Pereira spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his light heavyweight title rematch vs. Magomed Ankalaev.
LAS VEGAS – Alex Pereira isn’t counting his chickens before they hatch, or in this case, he’s not shining the belt before it’s his.
The belt was once his, but is no longer. Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) hopes to reunite with it by defeating Magomed Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC) in the UFC 320 main event Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. The event streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view. The fight is a little spicier than the first meeting, with run-ins both in person and online between the two fighters.
“I think back before the first fight, he wanted to create a storyline saying that I wouldn’t accept the fight, that I didn’t want to fight him and all that,” Pereira told MMA Junkie and other reporters at pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “Now, there is a little bit of a rivalry. There’s a small story there to be told.”
Pereira, 38, enters this fight as the challenger instead of the champion. Despite the unanimous decision loss in March, Pereira doesn’t feel any different entering without gold around his waist.
“I think the challenge is being in there. I think the fight is the challenge,” Pereira said. “Obviously, I want to go in there and pit on a good fight. I want to win, so I don’t want to carry that weight.”
Unwilling to make callouts or look past the challenge at hand, Pereira went out of his way to highlight a potential first title challenger should he win the title back. When asked about the UFC 320 battle between Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree, Pereira redirected the conversation toward Carlos Ulberg, who defeated Dominick Reyes by first-round knockout last Saturday.
“I’ve fought them both, so it’s going to be a good fight,” Pereira said. “I see the potential in both of those guys, but obviously, I want to go in there and win my belt back. I’m not going to be the one to pick, but I think Carlos Ulberg is a guy who is coming up and has been doing a good job. That’s what I’ve been looking for, to put on good fights, especially since I’ve pretty much fought all the other opponents who are right there at the top.”
