Alex Pereira stares down Russian reporter after he asks Magomed Ankalaev if he’ll ‘send him back to tyre shop’ at UFC 313 press conference

Alex Pereira looked far from amused after a Russian reporter asked what many deemed to be a disrespectful question at Thursday’s UFC 313 pre-fight press conference.

Pereira defends his light-heavyweight title against Russia’s Magomed Ankalaev in the main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

And the pair faced the media in front of fans at Mandalay Bay two days out from the fight.

One reporter was feeling extremely brave as he put a question to Ankalaev that poked fun at Pereira’s life before fighting.

‘If you absolutely dominate Alex in this fight do you think you’ll send him back working in the tyre shop,’ the man asked.

Ankalaev laughed while Pereira’s demeanor immediately changed, the Brazilian sitting forward and clenching his fists while death staring the questioner. 

Periera grew up in a favela in Sao Paulo and dropped out of school early to begin working.

By the age of 12 he would take a 40-minute walk to work at a tyre shop to earn 68p a day. He has since spoken of how the influence of his colleagues at the job led him down a path of alcoholism before he found mixed martial arts.

Ankalaev proceeded to answer the question and did not hold back one bit.

‘We’re planning to absolutely dominate him on Saturday we’re going to make sure that Chama has no chances on Saturday,’ he said.

‘Whether or not he stays in the sport or decides to go back to the tire shop, that’s going to be up to him, he’s going to have to make his decision.

‘The same people that are saying ‘Chama’ now are going to be saying ‘no Chama’. It’s Ankalaev time.’

Pereira has a reputation for being one of the most feared men in the UFC and is making his fourth title defence.