Israel Adesanya predicts Alex Pereira KO over Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313

Israel Adesanya has picked Alex Pereira to beat Magomed Ankalaev by KO in the latter rounds of their fight on Saturday at UFC 313.

Both have met eachother four times across kickboxing and MMA, but their competitive past does not cloud Adesanya's analysis of the UFC light heavyweight champion’s next fight.

Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) defends his title against Magomed Ankalaev (20-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Despite Ankalaev’s well-rounded skill set, Adesanya believes Pereira’s striking will be the deciding factor. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former UFC middleweight champion highlighted Pereira’s leg kicks as a potential game-changer.

“Leg kicks – let’s just address the f*cking elephant in the room,” Adesanya said. “That’s going to be a factor in this fight. He might have to become a wrestler in this fight.”

While Ankalaev has hinted at standing and trading with Pereira, Adesanya doubts that strategy will last. The Dagestani contender has built his career on strong striking fundamentals, but Adesanya predicts he will turn to wrestling once he starts absorbing Pereira’s low kicks.

“I think Ankalaev is going to try to take him down,” Adesanya said. “Can he keep him down? Alex Pereira is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu now. … He’s exponentially getting better.”

In the lead-up to the fight, Pereira and Ankalaev have exchanged words regarding their approach. Pereira even suggested a wager that Ankalaev refused due to religious reasons. Instead, the challenger proposed an alternative for charity.

Regardless of pre-fight talk, Adesanya expects Pereira’s momentum to continue. The Brazilian has won back-to-back fights since capturing the 205-pound belt, including a first-round knockout of former champion Jiri Prochazka.

“Maybe I’m banking too much on the leg kicks,” Adesanya said. “I have experience with it. I know how painful it is and how effective it is.”

Adesanya famously avenged his losses to Pereira with a knockout at UFC 287, reclaiming the middleweight title before taking a break from competition. Now, he envisions a similar outcome for Pereira against Ankalaev.

“I just think this is going to go leg kicks, leg kicks, leg kicks, left hook,” Adesanya said. “Alex Pereira by KO. … He’s going to knock him out in the fourth or fifth round.”

Pereira looks to secure his fourth light heavyweight title defense, while Ankalaev aims to claim the belt that eluded him in a controversial draw against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 282.