Dominick Cruz weighs in on Pereira vs Ankalaev: What could be key to the fight?

Former UFC champion Dominick Cruz has given his thoughts on the upcoming fight between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. Cruz believes that Russian fighter could pose a serious challenge for Pereira, but only if he uses the right approach in the fight.

"We've seen Alex Pereira go on a winning streak and it's time to see him against someone who can take his punches. But can Ankalaev handle Alex's punching power? If you've watched Pereira, he's been sparring with heavyweights and that's why his striking skills look phenomenal. You can see that by watching the clips that Alex lets you watch, but Ankalaev doesn't let us see anything from his training. We don't know how good his striking skills are right now," Cruz said.

However, the former champion believes that the best way for Ankalaev to test a Brazillian fighter would be to combine his footwork with grappling. 

"He says he's going to trade punches with Pereira, but I really hope he doesn't, because I want to see someone really test Pereira. The best way for Ankalaev to really test him is to combine his stance and grappling. The beauty of watching something like that, mixing the two segments, instead of just pushing one segment of the fight," he added.

Grappling

Many believe that Russian fighter could be successful if he chooses such an approach, as his versatility in all aspects of fighting could be the key to a fight against Alex. Despite Ankalaev’s claims that he will not use grappling, many analysts seem to believe that this is exactly what could bring victory. “Many fighters think that grappling is the hardest thing to prepare for, but for Ankalaev, that is not the case. And he himself knows how to use his skill set to get the win.”

This will certainly be an interesting match in which we can expect various outcomes. Both are equally motivated and ready to make a big result. Both are also great fighters!

Ankalaev seems ready to offer real resistance and show that he is ready for the biggest challenges in his career, while on the other hand Alex also wants to use his experience and celebrate in this match.