UFC 320: Alex Pereira says ‘coward’ Magomed Ankalaev hid from him at Performance Institute

Alex Pereira has little respect for Magomed Ankalaev ahead of their UFC 320 main event. Pereira’s sentiment stems from a recent visit to the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, where he claims Ankalaev physically hid from him.

Pereira and Ankalaev are preparing for their rematch on Oct. 4. That preparation recently brought them to the UFC PI. On Tuesday, Pereira uploaded a video detailing his time there. “Poatan” claims he saw Ankalaev’s coach, but the UFC light heavyweight champion was absent. Only later was Pereira informed that Ankalaev had allegedly hid from him.

“Something funny happened just now when I was leaving the PI. I saw Ankalaev’s coach there. I stayed myself, I didn’t see Ankalaev there,” Pereira said, according to transcriptions from Championship Rounds. “… When I got to the car, someone from my team was still inside, and he heard the girl from the PI say to Ankalaev, ‘He can come now, he’s already left.’ 

“Damn, he was hiding. They hid the guy in a little room. This guy thinks I’m going to run into him and start fighting. Do I look stupid, bro?”

Pereira insists he would’ve acted cordially had they met each other. However, Pereira takes issue with his rival’s alleged cowardice.

“Honestly, I would’ve handled it better. But the fact that the guy hides in a room because I’m in the same place as him,” Pereira said. “He’s a chump. I’ll keep to myself. I’ll never pick a fight with the guy. Never start something. Of course, unless he comes at me. I have to defend myself, too. But what kind of champion is that? A shit champion. I know that’s harsh, but he’s a shitty champion. 

Pereira is making final arrangements for their rematch in Vegas. In March, Ankalaev beat Pereira via unanimous decision, taking the light heavyweight title and snapping Pereira’s five-fight winning streak. 

“He’s shown he’s a coward,” Pereira said. “We’ll see. He’s hiding now. We’ll be in the cage, locked in there. Unless he jumps the fence.”