Alex Poatán e Magomed Ankalayev staring down before the fight (Photo: Instagram)
After the defeat and loss of the belt Alex Poatán to Magomed Ankalayev in the main fight of UFC 313, on March 8, there was practically unanimity regarding an immediate rematch for the Brazilian as the path to follow. Former fighter and current Ultimate commentator, Chael Sonnen, however, thinks differently.
During a recent appearance on the 'Submission Radio' podcast, Sonnen stated that he doesn't see anything in the first fight that would make him believe that the result of a possible rematch would be favorable to the Brazilian.
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“I’m a big fan of Alex Pereira on a personal level, but also of his work in the Octagon. I have to say, there’s nothing in that first fight, whether it’s injury, illness, or even a combination of the two, there’s nothing that would lead a reasonable analyst to believe that you’re going to have a different result in the second fight. It was four rounds to one. It wasn’t even competitive. (…) Nothing we saw makes me believe that rounds six, seven, eight, nine and 10 would be any different,” said the American.
In the opinion of Chael Sonnen, defeat to Magomed Ankalayev represents the perfect opportunity to Alex Poatán follow the goal of moving up to heavyweight, just as he did in the transition from middleweight to light heavyweight after a setback against Israel adesanya.
“I think it’s a surprise and a risk. The way Pereira got to 93 kg is different from what people remember. People think Pereira got to 93 because he lost 84 kg. That’s not true. He moved up because he lost. When he lost the belt, he was free to go wherever he wanted. If we want him in the heavyweight division, it won’t be by beating Ankalaev, it will be by him losing, as he did. Our opportunity to take him to the winner of Jones vs. Aspinall. The fight was close, he defended the takedowns. It wasn’t embarrassing at all. But if you have a rematch and lose again… then there’s a bit of shame,” he concluded.
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