Magomed
Ankalaev believes he has done his part to receive No. 1
contender status in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight
division.
Advertisement
The 31-year-old
Gorets Fight Team member got some much-needed closure on
Saturday night, when he knocked out Johnny
Walker 2:42 into Round 2 of their headlining encounter at
UFC Fight Night 234. Not only was it a more satisfying
conclusion for Ankalaev than their first meeting, which ended via
no contest, but it also made a statement about the Dagestani’s
overall skill set — one that could make reigning 205-pound champion
Alex
Pereira take notice.
“I could have come out here today and wrestled against Johnny
Walker. I could have taken him down right away and won with my
ground-and-pound on the ground, but instead I wanted to send a
message. I wanted to stand up and I wanted to knock him out, and
that’s what I did,” Ankalaev said through a translator at the UFC
Fight Night 234 post-fight press conference.
“Now, for Glover
Teixeira, I have a message. Don’t waste your time trying to
teach your student how to wrestle or grapple, he’s not going to
need it. I’m going to come out there, I’m going to stand across
from him, and I know that he’s been knocked out before as a
middleweight so imagine what’s going to happen if I meet him in
light heavyweight. Trust me, he’s not going to feel comfortable
there.”
Great knockout. We will see u soon.
#UFCFightNight— glover teixeira (@gloverteixeira)
January 14, 2024
Ankalaev is unbeaten in his last 13 Octagon appearances, with the
no contest against Walker and a draw with Jan
Blachowicz as the only blemishes on his ledger during that
time. It’s currently unclear if Jamahal
Hill, who had to vacate the belt after rupturing his Achilles
tendon, will be next in line for a title shot when he returns to
full health. Ankalaev thinks he should be above Hill in the
championship pecking order.
“I think here the math works out, the way that I’m more deserving
of the belt because I have 10 victories, six of them knockouts, and
Jamahal Hill has eight fights total in the UFC,” Ankalaev said. “So
it’s just clear that I’m a more deserving contender than Jamahal
Hill.”
Perhaps more importantly, Ankalaev has vowed to put on a show if he
receives his desired championship opportunity.
“I’ve been considering myself the champ since that fight [against
Blachowicz at UFC 282],” Ankalaev said. “For whatever reason, the
judges decided that it was going to be a draw and I didn’t get my
chance. Now I have a chance again to fight for the title.
“So if I get to fight against Pereira, I think we’re going to have
a great fight,” he added. “It’s going to be a firefight, it’s going
to be an exciting fight, and we’re going to do our job and I’m
going to get my title back because I’m already feeling like a
champion.”