Kamaru Usman wants to see a third fight between both a healthy Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev.
Ankalaev (21-2-1 MMA, 12-2-1 UFC) was the one to put an end to Pereira’s light heavyweight reign when he outstruck him in a unanimous decision win at UFC 313. However, Pereira was able to exact his revenge in just 80 seconds when he stopped Ankalaev by TKO in their rematch this past Saturday at UFC 320.
Pereira (13-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) revealed that he entered his first fight with Ankalaev at 40 percent, hinting at a hand injury. After Ankalaev lost, a video surfaced of him getting injections on his ribs 20 days before the fight. With both fighters entering compromised in each matchup, Usman says a trilogy is the best way to go.
“Yes, of course I would love to see the trilogy,” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. “Pereira didn’t give us his best performance because there was something going on behind closed doors (in the first fight). Ankalaev didn’t give us his best performance because there was something going on behind closed doors (in the second fight). This is for all the marbles.”
Usman can relate to fighting injured and the refusal to withdraw from a matchup. While many think the UFC will not opt for a third fight between Pereira and Ankalaev, Usman sees a scenario where it could happen.
“We don’t hear these things once you win,” Usman said. “Pereira loses the title, we heard what happened. Now Ankalaev lost the title and we’re hearing what happened. So the third fight, I do believe, is for all the marbles. You have to govern yourself to get to the fight as healthy as possible. This is part of our job. This is what makes our job so damn hard is to govern yourself and try to get in there as healthy as possible because there’s no excuses – especially if that trilogy fight happens.
“I think it could potentially happen because the White House card is not until June. That’s almost eight months away. So is Pereira willing to sit for eight months to wait for that card? I don’t know. I do think Ankalaev is extremely talented, I do think he’s one of the most well-rounded guys in that division, if not the most well-rounded guy in the division. So I would love to see a trilogy.”
