Magomed Ankalaev is upset for not landing the next shot at UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and it’s hard to blame him. The Russian contender is unbeaten in his last 12 trips to the Octagon and was expected to get his hands on “Poatan” this year.
Unfortunately for Ankalaev, UFC matchmakers skipped him in line and decided to grant the No. 8-ranked Khalil Rountree Jr. the opportunity to fight Pereira for the belt this weekend at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a move that shocked many in the sport considering Rountree seemed to be at least two more wins away from a shot at UFC gold.
Ankalaev, who is currently scheduled to fight Aleksandr Rakic at UFC 308 this October, will have to wait his turn. The Russian fighter has been going toe-to-toe with Pereira in the media, but that’s not enough. Ankalaev wants to get his hands on Pereira and most fight fans want to see it, too. That is, of course, if “Poatan” doesn’t decide to leave the light heavyweight division in 2025 to challenge for heavyweight (or middleweight) supremacy.
For now, fight fans are expecting to see Pereira win at UFC 307, Ankalaev to win at UFC 308, and the two fighters to finally settle their beef sometime early next year. A lot can go wrong with those plans because Rountree and Rakic are two very dangerous fighters in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, but it’s the most likely scenario.
On Saturday, Ankalaev took to social media to give his official prediction for Saturday’s title fight between Pereira and Rountree. Ankalaev believes that Pereira will fall back on some magical voodoo to capture another impressive knockout, but also promised to “beat this demon out of him” when they finally meet.
Check it out below:
My prediction for UFC 307 main event @AlexPereiraUFC win KO voodoo help
After this, I have to do my job and I will beat this demon out of him. They will never come back— Magomed Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) October 5, 2024
“My prediction for UFC 307 main event @AlexPereiraUFC win KO voodoo help.
After this, I have to do my job and I will beat this demon out of him. They will never come back.”
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 307 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.
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