Alex Pereira claims he has fought tougher competition than Magomed Ankalaev.
Ankalaev had a long route to a title shot, which finally came to fruition against Pereira at UFC 313 this past March. While Pereira was ahead in the first round, Ankalaev took over down the stretch to earn a unanimous decision win. Pereira was an underdog against Ankalaev, in large part due to the difficult stylistic matchup. However, Pereira claims he has fought tougher opponents than Ankalaev, although the Russian was a tough challenge on that particular night.
“It was a fight that many thought that I won,” Pereira said in an interview with The Schmo.