Alex Pereira agrees to fight the cocky Magomed Ankalaev and “prove his depth” after UFC 307.

Alex Pereira will not have the opportunity to prove himself at UFC 307.

That's because light heavyweight title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. won't be on the pay-per-view (PPV) card at any point in the five-round championship, which tops the pay-per-view (PPV) card on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City shoots a takedown.

But if top contender Magomed Ankalaev wants to step up and test his ground game against the budding jiu-jitsu survivalist, then Pereira is ready to make the title defense a reality – assuming he doesn't get bolstered by “War Horse” at UFC 307.

“No real preference, it’s up to the organization, but maybe I’ll defend my belt again,” Pereira told Main Event about his fighting future (which could include a return to middleweight). “Ankalaev has been talking a lot, maybe it would be a good opportunity for me to show people my grappling and ground game. It’s up to the organization, there are no options.”

Ankalaev has been critical of Pereira's title reign since he was passed over for the promotion in favor of more style-friendly opponents such as Jamahal Hill and Rountree Jr. – two strikers by trade. However, Ankalaev bears some of the blame for his current matchmaking.

Of course, none of this will matter unless “Poatan” prevails at UFC 307.

MMAmania.com delivers LIVE round-by-round and blow-by-blow coverage of the entire area UFC 307 Battle card RIGHT HEREstarting with the early one ESPN+ “Prelims” games at 6:00 p.m. ET, followed by remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8:00 p.m. ET, ahead of the PPV main card start time at 10:00 p.m. ET ESPN+ PPV.

Check out the latest and greatest UFC 307: “Pereira vs. Rountree Jr.” Find news and notes in our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized UFC 307 fight card and ESPN+ lineup, click here.