{"id":42190,"date":"2026-02-08T11:40:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T16:40:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/08\/alex-pereira-in-negotiations-to-challenge-arman-tsarukyan-who-recently-missed-victory-in-ufc\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T11:40:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T16:40:23","slug":"alex-pereira-in-negotiations-to-challenge-arman-tsarukyan-who-recently-missed-victory-in-ufc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/08\/alex-pereira-in-negotiations-to-challenge-arman-tsarukyan-who-recently-missed-victory-in-ufc\/","title":{"rendered":"Alex Pereira in Negotiations to Challenge Arman Tsarukyan, Who Recently Missed Victory in UFC"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/08\/alex-pereira-in-negotiations-to-challenge-arman-tsarukyan-who-recently-missed-victory-in-ufc\/#Talks_ongoing_for_grappling_match_between_Alex_Pereira_and_Shara_Magomedov\" >Talks ongoing for grappling match between Alex Pereira and Shara Magomedov<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/08\/alex-pereira-in-negotiations-to-challenge-arman-tsarukyan-who-recently-missed-victory-in-ufc\/#Shara_Magomedovs_recent_grappling_draw_with_Arman_Tsarukyan\" >Shara Magomedov\u2019s recent grappling draw with Arman Tsarukyan<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Alex Pereira\u2019s return to combat sports might lead him outside the UFC cage.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The reigning UFC light heavyweight champ is still preparing for his heavyweight debut, but no official announcement has been made about his next fight under the UFC banner.<\/p>\n<p>Last October, Pereira avenged a brief title loss by knocking out Magomed Ankalaev, who had taken the 205-pound crown earlier this year.<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead to 2026, the Brazilian star is targeting either a high-profile heavyweight clash with Jon Jones or a chance to make history by capturing a third championship in that weight class.<\/p>\n<p>While awaiting the UFC\u2019s plans, Pereira is reportedly considering other options for his first outing of the year outside the octagon\u2026<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Talks_ongoing_for_grappling_match_between_Alex_Pereira_and_Shara_Magomedov\"><\/span>Talks ongoing for grappling match between Alex Pereira and Shara Magomedov<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In a recent interview, talks have emerged about a possible grappling match between Pereira and UFC middleweight Shara Magomedov.<\/p>\n<p>Rizvan Magomedov, the coach of the Russian national team, addressed this prospect during an interview with SPORT24.<\/p>\n<p>Confirming the discussions initially revealed by Barrett, the manager says negotiations remain &#8220;ongoing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe Shara is gradually shifting from striking to wrestling,\u201d said Magomedov in Russian (as reported by Red Corner MMA).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are currently awaiting the date. Ideally, it would take place in the Middle East or another location.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe uses his downtime to engage in these types of contests,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019ll be fascinating to watch\u2014two skilled strikers facing off on the grappling stage.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Shara_Magomedovs_recent_grappling_draw_with_Arman_Tsarukyan\"><\/span>Shara Magomedov\u2019s recent grappling draw with Arman Tsarukyan<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Should this matchup happen, Pereira will attempt to accomplish what Arman Tsarukyan couldn&#8217;t.<\/p>\n<p>Tsarukyan, who boasted an undefeated 4-0 record in grappling last year, was unable to finish Magomedov in their final 2025 encounter. The bout ended in a draw, with no submission secured.<\/p>\n<p>Tsarukyan had earlier earned victories over notable opponents Benson Henderson, Patricky Pitbull, Mehdi Vaidulaev, and Makkashalip Zainukov throughout 2025.<\/p>\n<p>With many UFC fighters staying active outside the cage in promotions such as Real American Freestyle and Hype FC while awaiting their next MMA bouts, this kind of cross-discipline engagement is becoming more common.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Fan Take:<\/strong> This potential grappling showdown highlights an exciting trend of elite MMA athletes testing their skills beyond the Octagon, which not only builds their legacies but also fuels fan interest across combat sports disciplines. For the sport, it signals a growing crossover appeal that could lead to innovative matchups and fresh narratives for audiences worldwide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alex Pereira\u2019s return to combat sports might lead him outside the UFC cage. The reigning UFC light heavyweight champ is still preparing for his heavyweight debut, but no official announcement has been made about his next fight under the UFC banner. Last October, Pereira avenged a brief title loss by knocking out Magomed Ankalaev, who [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":42191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2443],"tags":[2444],"class_list":{"0":"post-42190","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fighting","8":"tag-fighting"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}