Alex Poatán e Magomed Ankalayev staring down before the fight (Photo: Instagram)
Recently, Alex Poatán revealed the reason of his revenge against Magomed Ankalayev has not yet come to fruition. According to the Brazilian, he needed time to rest, treat injuries and, ultimately, prepare adequately for the match. However, Ali Abdelaziz, the rival's manager, believes that this strategy could end up being detrimental.
In an interview with 'Submission Radio', Abdelaziz said that Poatan should be ready to fight in October or November and acknowledged that the champion needs time to recover. Still, he warned that the more time the Brazilian gives Ankalaev to prepare, the greater the challenges will be.
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“He said he will be ready to fight in October or November, and I believe him. I believe Alex Pereira needs some time to rest, but I also believe that the more time he gives Ankalaev to prepare, the more problems he will have. I don’t think this fight will go to five rounds. No chance,” said Ali Abdelaziz.
Ali Abdelaziz revealed that Magomed Ankalayev accepted offers to fight in June, July and August, but said he did not know if the UFC had offered those dates to Alex Poatán. Furthermore, the businessman raised doubts about the Brazilian's real interest in facing the Russian, suggesting that perhaps Poatan is avoiding the confrontation.
“Ankalaev was called to fight in June, July and August, and he said ‘yes’ to all three dates. I don’t know if the UFC asked Alex, I can’t say for sure, but you have to understand that when you’re one of the biggest stars in the UFC, you have all the hype, you’re untouchable and then you lose, you have to reset. Sometimes I wonder if Alex wants to fight Ankalaev,” concluded the manager.
Alex Poatán e Magomed Ankalayev faced each other in UFC 313, where the Russian emerged victorious by unanimous decision of the judges. Since then, the Brazilian has been accused of refusing a rematch.
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