Realistic Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev prediction will ‘get hate’, claims Jamahal Hill

Former UFC champion Jamahal Hill believes Magomed Ankalaev can beat the champion Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 313.

Realistic Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev prediction will ‘get hate’, claims Jamahal Hill

Magomed Ankalaev might beat Alex Pereira at UFC 313 (via Imago/X)

Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev will fight each other this Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It will be the Brazilian’s fourth ever light heavyweight title defense and he’s the fan favorite to win. However, former rival Jamahal Hill has a different opinion on the potential winner. 

Hill faced Pereira at UFC 300 and suffered a first-round knockout loss. He still believes that the Russian fighter has a better chance of winning against Pereira this weekend. In a recent podcast, ‘Sweet Dreams’ explained his reasons for picking the challenger as the favorite.

I know I’m gonna get hate for this. But I get hate anyway. I’m prolly gonna go with Magomed. I feel like he has more tools to win. Obviously, Alex has that one hit wonder…But I believe Magomed has the speed and the patience to counter. 

Jamahal Hill via War Council 
YouTube video

Pereira is popular for his ungodly power, which is enough to put the lights out of anybody in the roster. However, Ankalaev isn’t afraid of it and has worked on not falling in that trap as other fighters. On top of that, the Russian has a great background in wrestling, something that Pereira lacks.

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Though the Brazilian has promised fans that he has worked on his wrestling, there are still few reservations. However, it will depend on how Ankalaev wants to approach this fight. For the UFC, however, the results do mean a lot.

Former fighter believes UFC wants Alex Pereira to win

Alex Pereira has been a major asset to the UFC, bringing excitement with his knockout power and rapid rise. He became a two-division champion, headlined major events, and boosted viewership. His rivalries, especially with Israel Adesanya and Jiri Prochazka, have kept fans engaged and elevated the sport.

Alex Pereira fighting Israel Adesanya the first time
Alex Pereira fighting Israel Adesanya the first time (via X)

Currently, Pereira is one of the biggest pay-per-view stars along with the likes of Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev. Him losing the title could be a big blow to the UFC’s revenue. This is the exact theory that UFC fighter turned analyst Brendan Schub talked about in his latest video. 

If you don’t think the UFC brass is praying to the MMA gods that Alex wins this fight… They can’t create a star out of Ankalaev. You just can’t. Alex is your biggest star and it’s his fourth title defense in under a year, wild… So, if he beats Ankalaev, what’s next for him? There’s nothing at light heavyweight.

Brendan Schub via his YouTube channel 
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Pereira has also considered moving up and potentially fighting Jones for the heavyweight championship. He has the potential to become the first ever fighter to hold three UFC belts in different divisions. It would be interesting to see what happens this Saturday at the main event of UFC 313.

Related: Alex Pereira Fight Record: How many defeats does “Poatan” have in his career?