Chael Sonnen thinks Alex Pereira immediately rematching Magomed Ankalaev is a bad idea.
Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) lost his light heavyweight title to Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC) by unanimous decision in the UFC 313 main event earlier this month at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
All signs are pointing to Pereira getting an opportunity to avenge his loss to Ankalaev next, but Sonnen warns him against that option. "Poatan" stuffed all 12 of Ankalaev's takedowns, but was outstruck and controlled in the fight.
Sonnen sees a rematch likely going the same way.
"I'm a very big Alex Pereira fan, on a personal level, but also his work inside the cage," Sonnen told Submission Radio. "I've got to 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 4-1. It was four rounds to one. It really was not overly competitive. There were some really well things done by Pereira, such as stopping the takedowns. We didn't know that 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 that would make us think that even at a slow pace, even at a drawn down action-packed night or lack thereof, there's nothing to believe that Rounds 6, 7, 8, 9 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? Ankalaev is the one that had his takedowns stuffed. So in theory, he's the one that would have felt and known 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 his way."
Sonnen says history proves that Pereira could still land big opportunities off of a loss – but off of two?
"It is a surprise and I think it's a risk," Sonnen said. "The way we got Pereira to 205 pounds is contrary to what people remember. Most people's minds have played a trick on them. People believe Pereira got to 205 because he cleaned out 185, and that is not accurate. He got beat. When he got beat at 185, and 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 that 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 (Jon) Jones vs. (Tom) Aspinall or any scenario, be a backup fighter ... the way to do it has already been done, and I'm not certain we should not have taken full ...
