That Alex Pereira title shot just got one fight booking closer to reality.
No. 2-ranked Magomed Ankalaev will make his Octagon return against No. 6-ranked Johnny Walker at the upcoming UFC 294 pay-per-view (PPV) event, recently made official for Sat., Oct. 21, 2023 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
That’s according to Vestnik MMA.
Ankalaev (17-1-1) competed for the light heavyweight title at UFC 282 last Dec., but his Jan Blachowicz bout ended in a split draw and the belt remained vacant until UFC 283. As for Walker (21-7), he’s coming off three consecutive wins, including last May’s decision victory over Anthony Smith at UFC Charlotte.
Pereira is expected to fight former champion Jiri Prochazka.
UFC 294 will be headlined by the lightweight title fight (and championship rematch) between current champion Islam Makhachev and former titleholder Charles Oliveira. Elsewhere on the card, Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa collide at 185 pounds.
Expect more UFC 294 fight card announcements in the coming days.