UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira clarifies that he was never ducking Magomed Ankalaev. Ankalaev (20-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) has been heavily campaigning to fight Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC), but was passed up for a title fight on several occasions.

Video shows Alex Pereira working on his wrestling alongside former Olympian ahead of UFC 313 title defense against Magomed Ankalaev

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira got all he could handle in a hard sparring session with heavyweight boxer Igor Adiel Macedo.

Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev is finally official. In a matchup long in the making, Pereira defends his UFC light heavyweight title against Ankalaev in the main event of UFC 313 on March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, UFC announced Saturday.

Magomed Ankalaev promises to punish Alex Pereira in the UFC 313 main event, setting the stage for an intense showdown in the Octagon.