Alex Pereira agrees to fight mouthy Magomed Ankalaev, ‘prove his ground game’ after UFC 307

Alex Pereira will not have an opportunity to prove his ground game at UFC 307.

That’s because light heavyweight title challenger, Khalil Rountree Jr., refuses to shoot for a takedown at any point across their five-round championship affair, which tops the Oct. 5 pay-per-view (PPV) card in Salt Lake City.

But if top contender Magomed Ankalaev wants to step up and test his ground game against the budding jiu-jitsu survivalist, then Pereira is open to making the title defense happen — assuming he doesn’t get starched by “War Horse” at UFC 307.

“No real preference, it’s up to the organization, but maybe defend my belt one more time,” Pereira told Main Event about his fighting future (which could include a return to middleweight). “Ankalaev has been talking a lot of stuff, maybe it would be a good opportunity for me to kind of prove my grappling and my ground game to the people. It’s up to the organization, no choices.”

Ankalaev has been critical of Pereira’s title reign ever since the promotion passed him over in favor of more style-friendly opponents, like Jamahal Hill and Rountree Jr. — two strikers by trade. Ankalaev, however, is partly to blame for his current matchmaking.

Naturally, none of this matters unless “Poatan” prevails at UFC 307.

LIVE! Watch UFC 307 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

Championship Doubleheader! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will stage a once-in-a-lifetime pay-per-view (PPV) extravaganza on Sat., Sept. 14, 2024, to honor Mexican Independence Day during Riyadh Season, an unlikely mashup topped by the Bantamweight main event between reigning champion, Sean O’Malley, and sliced-and-diced No. 1 contender Merab Dvalishvili. In UFC 306’s championship co-headliner, current Flyweight titleholder, Alexa Grasso, will settle her score with fellow Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 32 coach, Valentina Shevchenko, in the final fight of their epic 125-pound trilogy. UFC 306’s PPV main card (see it here) will also feature Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes, Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aoriqileng, and so much more! It’s must-watch action from “Sin City!” UFC 306’s start time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET (Prelims card) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV main card).

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 307 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 307: “Pereira vs. Rountree Jr.” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 307 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.