After almost two years, Alex Pereira is going to head into UFC 320 as the challenger. The last time he did it was at UFC 295. Dropping the belt certainly hurt him, as he’s taken all the time to prepare and fight Magomed Ankalaev again in October. But what led to his loss in the first encounter? Ankalaev is a highly skilled fighter, but the way in which he defeated the dominant former champion has led many people, including veteran MMA coach John Wood, to believe that maybe Pereira wasn’t “serious” enough.

Alex Pereira has become one of the biggest stars in the UFC, with even Bruce Buffer giving him the coveted “The one, the only” label, which only Conor McGregor and Jon Jones have received. That raised his stock in the MMA world. As such, Pereira was seen traveling around the world and attending various events prior to his first fight against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. According to John Wood, that was a big mistake.

Alex Pereira urged to take Magomed Ankalaev seriously ahead of UFC 320 rematch

“I don’t know that Pereira took it that serious for the first one,” John Wood mused during a recent interview with Home of Fight. Alex Pereira’s light heavyweight title win and the next three subsequent title defenses saw him obliterate his opponents, with fights never going to the final round. So, there’s no doubt that he was brimming with confidence before fighting Magomed Ankalaev. But the fact that Pereira was sacrificing crucial training time to make public appearances may have been the reason why he could not get past the Dagestan native.

“I travel a lot and I’m at almost every event all over the world. Not just UFC but smaller shows, big shows… I swear to you, when he was in that camp, I saw that dude at every one of those shows. Like, he was at Karate Combat. He’s in Australia. He’s here. He’s there,” John Wood added. “For me, I was like, ‘Man, like how are you preparing for a fight of that magnitude while you’re away for a week?'”

Well, there are different formulas and approaches that fighters use, and the way John Wood sees things may not be the same for Alex Pereira. So, before making any judgments on the former champion, Word stated, “I could be wrong.” But Wood, who has previously trained Pereira’s former rival Khalil Rountree Jr., insists that Pereira did not look like he spent enough time in training to come out on top at UFC 313, so taking a similar approach ahead of the rematch could see the fight producing the same outcome. “I’d see him training in the training rooms, you know. I just don’t know that you can put a proper camp in… Maybe that’s what works for him, and maybe that wasn’t the case.”

John Wood’s sentiment about Alex Pereira’s loss took shape among fans even before the fight happened. Fans were seriously concerned that he might not be concentrating. And although his mentor, Glover Teixeira, tried to ease the fans’ worries by claiming they were training hard, he lost. Meanwhile, Magomed Ankalaev plans to earn the same outcome as last time at UFC 320, and shared a message revealing his plans to Pereira.

Ankalaev vows to put Pereira to sleep

A knockout win is perhaps the most impressive way to beat an opponent. Alex Pereira had been doing just that, and that’s how he earned his millions of fans. However, Magomed Ankalaev could do what ‘Poatan’ does best, and knock the former champion out, but he’s not going to miss the chance in the rematch. As Pereira’s comments during an interview about ending the rivalry at UFC 320 surfaced, Ankalaev made sure to issue a response.

Alex Pereira said, “I think the story will be over.” Also, he followed that up by claiming that the chances of Magomed Ankalaev fighting for a title if he drops it at UFC 320 are slim. The Dagestan native issued a defiant response, promising to put Pereira’s lights out. “You’re right, I’m not gonna have any say because you’re gonna be sleeping and on your way working at the tire shop again,” Ankalaev tweeted.

Well, the countdown is on, and we’re just over a couple of weeks before the two light heavyweights run it again for the coveted gold. It will be interesting to see who gets the upper hand this time out, so tell us. Who do you see winning at UFC 320, Alex Pereira or Magomed Ankalaev? Drop your comments below.