Alex Pereira has responded to accusations from Magomed Ankalaev`s coach, who suggested Pereira used grease during their UFC 313 fight.
Pereira (12-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) suffered a unanimous decision loss to Ankalaev (21-1-1 MMA, 12-1-1 UFC) earlier this month in Las Vegas, losing his light heavyweight title.
Sukhrab Magomedov, Ankalaev`s coach, claimed in an interview that Pereira was suspiciously sticky, suggesting he had applied ointment to his body to improve his takedown defense. Magomedov even brought up Glover Teixeira, Pereira`s mentor, alleging a history of greasing.
Despite successfully defending all 12 of Ankalaev`s takedown attempts, Pereira vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
“I absolutely did not put anything on my body,” Pereira stated on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “It seems like his coach is trying to find excuses for the fact that his fighter failed to take me down despite training to do so. It`s like when someone makes a mistake at work and then tries to justify it with excuses. I can assure you, there was nothing on my body.”
Pereira added, “You should also ask his coach if we applied oil or Vaseline to the mats, because Ankalaev also ended up on his back. Why was that? This accusation bothers me because throughout my career, including in Glory, I have always followed the rules. The only time I had a point deducted was for excessive clinching, according to the referee, but I`ve always competed fairly, and that`s been key to my success.”
A rematch between Pereira and Ankalaev is anticipated, with UFC CEO Dana White indicating it is likely. Ankalaev himself has acknowledged that Pereira is the most deserving contender for a title shot.
