Sean Strickland advises Alex Pereira how to avenge loss to UFC champ Magomed Ankalaev

USA Today

5 days ago

Sean Strickland advises Alex Pereira how to avenge loss to UFC champ Magomed Ankalaev
Sean Strickland wants to see Alex Pereira rejuvenate before running things back with UFC champion Magomed Ankalaev.
Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) lost his light heavyweight title to Ankalaev by unanimous decision at UFC 313 in March. Ankalaev's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, revealed to MMA Junkie that two dates were offered for the rematch, but the fight is yet to materialize.
Strickland, who has trained with both Pereira and Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC), advised "Poatan" to take some time off before trying to reclaim his title. As UFC light heavyweight champion, Pereira competed four times in a calendar year.
"Ankalaev is just so f*cking good," Strickland told Red Corner MMA. "I think a couple of things. I think Alex has a great chance of beating him in the rematch. I think Alex goes too hard. I mean, how many title defenses did he have? Going up and down weight classes, where Ankalaev rides the bench for a certain amount of time. Like, being that active and on top of that being a superstar. Like, no one knows who the f*ck Ankalaev is. Ankalaev walks down the street, no one knows who the f*ck that guy is.
"Alex is a superstar. He can't leave his house without someone saying, 'Oh, sh*t, there's Alex, should we take a picture?' It kind of takes a toll on the mind. Where you take Ankalaev who just lives in a f*cking cave somewhere, I don't know where the f*ck that guy is from. He doesn't have to deal with the same pressures of being famous as you do in the U.S. So I think Alex, if he just takes a step back, clears his brain, comes in fresh, stop traveling all over the f*cking world, I think he has a legitimate shot of beating him."
It appears Pereira has already taken Strickland's advice. The Brazilian superstar has laid relatively low and, according to Ankalaev, hasn't been willing to make another quick turnaround.