Magomed Ankalaev: Alex Pereira’s coach trolls Magomed Ankalaev with brutal 'tire shop' dig after UFC 320 knockout title loss

Magomed Ankalaev's incessant jibes at Alex Pereira since winning the title at UFC 313 have only made his knockout loss to 'Poatan' in their UFC 320 rematch that much harder. Talk about trash talk backfiring.

The Brazilian's coach, Plinio Cruz, has now clapped back at Ankalaev for one of his most brutal digs.

The Russians had been on Pereira's case ever since their first fight, even accusing his opponent of trying to duck out of a rematch. However, one of his most vicious trash-talking moments came when he made a personal dig during the pre-fight press conference.

When one of the media members asked Ankalaev if he'd send 'Poatan' back to the tire shop with another dominant win, the former light heavyweight champion played along and said:

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"We’re planning on absolutely dominating him on Saturday. We’re gonna make sure that Chama has no chances on Saturday. Whether or not he stays in the sport and decides to go back to the tire shop, that’s gonna be up to him. He’s gonna be the one that has to make that decision."

Check out Magomed Ankalaev's comments on Alex Pereira below:

For context, Pereira used to work in a tire shop in Brazil before his combat sports superstardom.

The rematch, however, played out much differently than most expected. After being criticized for being too reactive in the first fight, 'Poatan' put the pressure from the get-go at UFC 320.

Pereira soon connected with a thunderous right hand, leaving his opponent dazed and scrambling for a takedown. Ankalaev found himself on the bottom, and after absorbing a relentless barrage of elbows, the referee stepped in to stop the fight in the very first round.

Following the event, Poatan's coach took to Instagram to post an edited picture of Ankalaev with a car tire on his shoulder.

Check out Alex Pereira's coach, Plinio Cruz's dig at Magomed Ankalaev below:

Screenshots courtesy: @pliniocruzmma on Instagram

Why did Alex Pereira tell Magomed Ankalaev that he didn't want to go back to the tire shop?

During a face-off for UFC 320, Alex Pereira told Magomed Ankalaev that he didn't want to go back to the tire shop. Naturally, the moment garnered much fanfare and went viral on the internet.

However, there seems to be a definite reason as to why 'Poatan' did it. During the post-fight press conference following his win, he explained the rationale behind his words:

"I wanted to remind myself. I wanted me to remember that moment and kind of put that responsibility on me of not wanting to go back to the tire shop, because a lot of people ask you, 'How do you go from being in a tire shop to being a world champion?,' and it is what I've told myself all along, that I wasn't going to go back to that tire shop. So I wanted to remember that. But, I'm going to go to Brazil and I'm going to go to the tire shop and but I'm taking this belt right here."

About the author

Ujwal Jain is a sports journalist who covers MMA at Sportskeeda and holds a bachelor's degree in mass communication and journalism. He has been practicing martial arts from an early age and won several accolades at national-level competitions in karate and Taekwondo. He also holds a back belt in karate. Ujwal loves fact-checking, helping out with related research, and being a fresh set of eyes for fellow writers’ articles.

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