Chael Sonnen thinks Alex Pereira is making a mistake.
Earlier this month, Pereira lost his light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313. Before the event, the conversation around Pereira centered around “Poatan” possibly moving up to heavyweight to pursue a third UFC title, but after the loss, all signs point to an immediate rematch between him and Ankalaev later this year. And Sonnen thinks that’s not a good idea.
“I’m a very big Alex Pereira fan, on a personal level but also his work inside the cage,” Sonnen told Submission Radio. “I gotta tell you, there is nothing within that first fight, whether illness, injury, or a combination of both, there was nothing about that first fight that would lead a reasonable analyst to believe you’re going to have a different outcome in the second fight. …
“That first fight was four to one. It was four rounds to one. It really was not overly competitive. There were some [good] things done by Pereira, such as stopping the takedowns. We didn’t know he had this ability. It was a pretty slow pace and there wasn’t a lot done. I’m just suggesting there was nothing we saw, even at a slow pace, even at a drawn down action-packed night or lack thereof, there’s nothing to believe that rounds six, seven, eight, nine, and 10 are going to be any different.
“Whatever it is that Pereira is supposed to have learned in that job experience, why would we not believe an equal amount would be learned by Ankalaev? Whatever we’re supposed to believe that Pereira gained to do a better job next time, why do we not believe that Ankalaev also [learned]? Ankalaev is the one that had his takedowns stuffed. So in theory, he’s the one that would have felt and know where the adjustments are to get the big guy off his feet. And once he gets him on the ground, I can’t imagine that’s where the judges are going to see it [Pereira’s] way.”
For Pereira, the rematch is not just about getting back the loss, but also about righting the wrong. Recently, Poatan revealed he dealt with a number of issues before the fight and considered withdrawing from the event altogether before seeing things through. It seems that Pereira believes he’ll have more success and give a better showing with better preparation for their rematch. But for Sonnen, that’s missing the forest for the trees. The biggest opportunity for Pereira isn’t Ankalaev, it’s still up at heavyweight.
“I think it’s a surprise and I think it’s a risk,” Sonnen said of the rematch. “The way we got Pereira to 205 pounds is contrary to what people remember. People’s minds have played a trick on them. People believe Pereira got to 205 because he cleaned out 185. That is not accurate. He got beat. And when he got beat at 185, he no longer has the belt, he no longer has to stay as the head of the division. He is free like anyone else to go anywhere he wants.
“So if we wanted to get him to heavyweight, it wasn’t by beating Ankalaev thus cleaning out 205. It would’ve been to get him beat, which we did. Our opportunity to bump him up to be able to take on the winner of a Jones vs. Aspinall … the way to do it has already been done, and I’m not certain we shouldn’t have taken full advantage. The fight was close, he stopped the takedowns, it added to the story; let it go. There was nothing embarrassing about it. But if you rematch and you drop two straight … that’s where some embarrassment does set in.”
Pereira and Ankalaev are expected to rematch later this year, with both men suggesting August is a good timeline for their second battle.
