Magomed Ankalaev is beyond ready for his shot at Ultimate Fighting Championship gold.
After taking a unanimous decision over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi this past Saturday, Ankalaev set his sights on light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. The Dagestani standout has been calling for a fight against “Poatan” for quite some time now, and after his latest victory, it will be difficult to deny him as the division’s No. 1 contender.
“Let’s do it. Alex, stop running away from me. … I have heard that he wants to fight during Ramadan. We are not fighting in Ramadan. Otherwise, after Ramadan or before Ramadan, if he says yes, we will fight him,” Ankalaev said at the UFC 308 post-fight press conference.
Ankalaev confirmed that while there were talks of a matchup with “Poatan” for UFC 300, contracts were never issued so the bout didn’t come to fruition. Instead, Pereira defended his belt with a stoppage of Jamahal Hill in the evening’s main event. More recently, the former Glory two-division champion defeated Rountree via fourth-round TKO in the UFC 307 headliner on Oct. 5. While he ended up being competitive, Rountree was a surprising choice of opponent given his standing in the division. Ankalaev believes that the promotion might be giving Pereira favorable matchmaking thanks to his entertaining fight style.
“I think he’s being protected. I’m not sure why the UFC is doing it,” Ankalaev said. “I think they’re protecting him. We know that he’s an exciting fighter. We know that he fights in the standup. He’s a great striker. So I think that they’re just saving him, protecting him.”
Ankalaev is now unbeaten in his last 13 apppearances, with a draw against Jan Blachowicz and a no contest against Johnny Walker the only blemishes on his record during that time. During his session with the media, UFC CEO Dana White indicated that the Gorets Fight Club representative would be the next No. 1 contender at 205 pounds.
“He looked good,” White said. “He absolutely looked great. I would have to say yes [he gets the next title shot].”
For Ankalaev, the title is more important than getting an opportunity to face Pereira, who has expressed interest in both returning to middleweight or moving up to heavyweight in recent months.
“I don’t care who I fight in this division. I’ve already fought all the top fighters,” Ankalaev said. “If Pereira goes to heavyweight, I don’t care. I’ll fight anyone who is in the UFC. Whoever UFC puts in front of me, that’s who will fight for the title.”
