Why doesn’t anyone just wrestle striker Alex Pereira? ‘Not so easy’ task says UFC 308’s Aleksandar Rakic
Aleksandar Rakic pitches in on why it's tough to wrestle Alex Pereira ahead of this Saturday's UFC 308 showdown.
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Aleksandar Rakic weighs up ground game approach against Alex Pereira (Source: X/IMAGO)
Alex Pereira continues to wreak havoc in the light heavyweight division. His reign of 205lb terror is now punctuated by three straight knockouts. Still, critics believe ‘Poatan’ has the ground game of a newborn calf. This begs the question, why doesn’t someone take Pereira down and submit it? UFC 308’s Aleksandar Rakic lays out the roadmap to such difficulties.
Aleksandar Rakic could be next in line for a crack at the 205-pound gold. He faces a dangerous challenge at UFC 308. Getting through Magomed Ankalaev puts him that close to gold. If an unexpected No. 8-seed Khalil Rountree Jr. can get a shot and put Alex Pereira in a striking pocket, then the sky’s the limit. Currently trying to break a bad streak, ‘Rocket’ Rakic weighs in on the equation.
He did great things in the light heavyweight division, …He’s the most active champion we have right now in the UFC…I think the most important thing with Alex is to mix it up. Of course, everyone says, ‘Go wrestle him. Go grapple him.’ But, of course, he trains wrestling and grappling, as well, and he knows some defense and how to defend a takedown. It would not be so easy like the people would be thinking it would be…
Aleksandar Rakic to MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun in Abu Dhabi
Pereira transitioned to MMA in the least part due to his rivalry with Israel Adesanya. He has become a dual-division champion with a unique legacy. Despite the immense striking success, the holes in his ground game remain. Detractors like Anthony Smith, Jamahal Hill, and even Michael Bisping have pitched in. There are some struggles of joining MMA past the mid-30 curtain.
The Brazilian superstar has faced takedowns from even strikers like Izzy, Jan Blachowicz, and Jiri Prochazka in their first go. However, he surpasses expectations with his otherworldly power. More to it, coaches Glover Teixeira and Plinio Cruz also prep him against ground games. Hence, Rakic says one might mix it up and find success against him.
Aleksandar Rakic aims to ‘crash party’ at UFC 308, stealing title shot from Magomed Ankalaev
UFC 308 (pay-per-view, ESPN+) sees Aleksandar Rakic match up to the dangerous Magomed Ankalaev in Abu Dhabi. Given his 12-fight undefeated streak in the division, many expected Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) to get a shot at reigning 205-pound champion Alex Pereira next.
However, that didn’t come to pass, and the promotion instead booked him up against Rakic. UFC CEO Dana White has said that Ankalaev will have his title shot if he has a solid win. Rakic, however, has other plans to steal the title shot.
I was happy. UFC gives me the opportunity to fight against the No. 2-ranked guy, against Ankalaev, and he was supposed to fight. There were rumors,he was supposed to fight Pereira. But when I got the name, I immediately said yes. You know why? Because I think I put a good show at UFC 300…I take this chance really serious. I’ve been working hard for this one…just to do a show on Saturday and crash the party
Aleksandar Rakic further said
Ankalaev has spent much of the build-up to UFC 308 heavily squabbling with Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) online and in interviews. Rakic said he hopes his opponent “underestimates” him when he steps into the Octagon this weekend. His title ambitions are also on full fuel, given Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira threatened to ‘make it a little bit harder’ for Ankalaev after he billed him for ducking.
However, it’s unlikely that any challenger who is the No. 1 and 2 seed for gold will easily distract. When they step into the cage, the 32-year-old Rakic expects to see the best version of the 32-year-old Ankalaev. Come UFC 308, their showdown could mean a lot for the division’s future.
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