It was Alex Pereira's demand, not coercion, that led to his Magomed Ankalaev, according to him. The organization confirmed Pereira's bout with Ankalev to defend his light heavyweight championship at UFC 313 on March 8 in Las Vegas's T-Mobile Arena during Saturday's UFC 311. Pereira claims that Ankalaev was trying to avoid a confrontation with him, but Ankalaev insists that this is not the case. “I did say I wanted to take a break, but I started training again, felt good, and started seeing my evolution,” Pereira told ESPN through a translator. Therefore, I immediately contacted my managers and informed them that I am interested in fighting; specifically, that I would like to fight Ankalaev in March. I feel bad about asking him out, but he insists I compete anytime the UFC wants since I'm just an employee. When I wanted to fight, I let them know. Ankalaev won his second opportunity at UFC gold with a decision victory over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 in October, while Pereira had an incredible 2024 as champion, knocking out Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree in six months. "Poatan" was questioned about Ankalaev's strengths and weaknesses, and although Pereira has admiration for the rising 205-pound competitor, he does not perceive any greater threat in this fight compared to his previous ones. The opponent was "as dangerous as any other opponent I've fought," described Pereira. From the looks of his fighting style, he's just another dude. I have been practicing diligently, but he has his weapons and threats. I'm prepared for him now that I've grown a lot. It was Monday that Ankalaev wrote, "You just sign your death certificate," making his intentions to terminate Pereira's championship reign crystal obvious.