"I knew it was a wrap" - Israel Adesanya reacts to Alex Pereira's win over Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320

Israel Adesanya recently shared his reaction to Alex Pereira's title win over Magomed Ankalaev in their rematch at UFC 320 last weekend. The Nigerian-born Kiwi lauded Pereira's performance and claimed he knew Ankalaev was in trouble very early into the opening round of the fight.

After losing the light heavyweight title via unanimous decision to Ankalaev in their first encounter at UFC 313 in March, Pereira reclaimed the belt with an incredible first-round knockout victory over the Dagestan-born fighter in their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 320 last weekend.

In a YouTube video, Adesanya shared his reaction to his former rival's win and claimed he knew Ankalaev was struggling as soon as he saw him switch stances:

"In the main event, wow, once Ankalaev went orthodox, I knew it was a wrap. I felt it was a wrap because you're giving him the leg he likes. That means his right leg was compromised with inside leg kicks already."

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

He continued:

"Yeah, he straight away attacked him, put him behind the black line, and then attacked the front leg. He didn't in the last fight because his leg was compromised, or his foot was hurt, so that's why he didn't throw as many right low kicks. He threw two or three, Ankalaev switched, and that's all she wrote, knockout by the champ." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Watch the full video below:

Israel Adesanya names next potential challenger for Alex Pereira after his UFC 320 win

In the same video, Israel Adesanya named the fighter Alex Pereira should face next. 'The Last Stylebender' wants to see his teammate Carlos Ulberg get the next light heavyweight title shot, despite Jiri Prochazka making a solid case for himself with an impressive third-round knockout victory over Khalil Rountree Jr. on the main card of UFC 320.

Given that Prochazka has already faced Pereira twice in the past, losing both times via second-round knockout, Adesanya wants to see the Brazilian go up against some new competition. Ulberg is coming off a first-round knockout win over Dominick Reyes at UFC Perth last month.

Making a case for a Pereira-Ulberg title fight, Adesanya said:

"I still think Carlos should get the next shot because, good fight, crazy fight, but if it's Pereira again, they're probably going to give it to Carlos, as they should... I think Carlos vs. Alex. I like that. That should be next." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

About the author

Nishant brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his MMA reporting for Sportskeeda. During his 1.5 years with the organization and previous work, Nishant has established himself as a prolific writer in the MMA community. With a Bachelor's degree in Media and Journalism and a Master's degree in International Relations, Nishant's educational background enhances his analytical and reporting skills.

Nishant admires UFC legend Georges St-Pierre for his dominance and exemplary conduct inside and outside the cage. The monumental UFC 229 event, headlined by a grudge match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, captivated Nishant and solidified his passion for MMA.

Nishant focuses on delivering high-quality content by giving attention to detail, and rigorous fact-checking via multiple layers. His dedication is evident in his achievement of publishing over 1.7K articles and accumulating 4.4 million reads in less than two years.

Nishant feels that it is only a matter of time that MMA takes over Boxing as the no.1 combat sport. Beyond MMA, his interests include philosophy, music exploration, and wildlife photography.

Know More