Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira have found themselves in the middle of a war of words despite not speaking the same language! Just over a week before UFC 320, the two light heavyweight stars came face to face at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, and what should have been a quiet training day turned into the talk of fight week. The reason? A language barrier, a translation app, and plenty of bad blood.
The short video, shared by RedCornerMMA on Instagram, shows Ankalaev standing in front of Pereira while a third party holds up a phone with a translation app. Ankalaev, speaking in Russian, declared, “No need for empty talk, we’ll settle this on October 4th. Let’s do it in the ring. Why waste words.”
Pereira, unfazed, fired back in Portuguese, “I never said anything. He talked. Now he comes out of nowhere and we’re face to face, you’re a coward.” The strange exchange, with the phone awkwardly bridging two languages, quickly went viral.
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This moment comes after days of heated back-and-forth between the two. Alex Pereira had claimed earlier in the week that Ankalaev “hid from him” at the UFC PI, suggesting his rival was avoiding face-to-face interaction. The champion snapped back on X, writing, “This clown who I’m fighting said I’m hiding from him, I’m giving him a rematch and he should be very grateful. I whooped him for 5 rounds and I did everything I wanted to him during the fight. Let’s focus on fighting and not trash talking.”
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For context, Ankalaev dominated their first meeting at UFC 313, walking away with a unanimous decision and the 205-pound title. Pereira has been chasing revenge ever since, and UFC 320 offers him that chance. But Ankalaev doesn’t appear to believe ‘Poatan” has much to bring to the table this time around. He even wrote on X after their recent run-in, “Met my opponent today, I confronted him for lying about seeing me in the PI the other day to which he said “ohh no it was one girl who told me she saw you but I didn’t see you myself. I will turn off his electricity next week.”
With this kind of tension, fight promotion usually thrives on face-offs and fiery soundbites. Instead, fans got a standoff powered by Google Translate, and naturally, the internet had a field day as we now take a look at what the netizens had to say!
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Fans left in a frenzy as Google Translate-powered ‘beef’ between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev goes viral
One fan wrote, “I think big ank again personally…” The confidence in Magomed Ankalaev stems from his dominant first win. He controlled the distance, shut down Alex Pereira’s weapons, and walked away largely unscathed. That kind of performance is hard to ignore. As such, the fan’s words indicate that many feel history may repeat itself at UFC 320!
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Another fan joked, “Google Translation can do ad with this Promotion.” The sentiment reflects how surreal the scene looked. A UFC title rematch hyped by trash talk through an app. In a way, the moment was perfect branding, two elite fighters forced to communicate through technology. It may not have been intentional, but it became one of the most effective, if unorthodox, fight promos in recent memory. What do you think?
Someone else commented, “man this is weirdly promoting the fight, beefing by google translator is crazy work.” They aren’t wrong. The awkward silence between translations added a bizarre comedy to the encounter. It almost felt like a parody Key and Peele sketch instead of a heated rivalry. Yet somehow, this accidental marketing move made people talk more about the fight than any planned press conference could.
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One fan chimed in with, “As Alex fan he has literally no chance of beating ank unfortunately ank by decision again.” It looks like even Alex Pereira’s staunchest supporters are bracing for disappointment. They admit their loyalty but still lean toward a repeat outcome. That speaks volumes about Magomed Ankalaev’s reputation as a smothering, calculated fighter who rarely leaves openings for dramatic knockouts.
Finally, one fan added, “Language barrier saved the moment for potential clash.” This is an interesting point. Without Google Translate, the conversation was stretched into pauses that defused any chance of a physical altercation. If both men had spoken the same tongue, tempers might have escalated quickly. Instead, the barrier turned conflict into suspense, leaving the real explosion for fight night!
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So, while Ankalaev insists he’ll “turn off Pereira’s electricity” and ‘Poatan’ aims for redemption, the narrative has now shifted into unexpected territory. Their rematch at UFC 320 was already billed as a must-see. But thanks to one phone and a translation app, it’s now carrying an extra layer of intrigue and unintentional comedy!