Magomed
Ankalaev is beyond ready for his shot at
Ultimate Fighting Championship gold.
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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.”