Tag: magomed ankalaev

Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev – Light Heavyweight Showdown Looms Ankalaev Claims Dana White Said

Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev - Light Heavyweight Showdown Looms Ankalaev Claims Dana White SaidAlex Pereira’s next fight is all lined up, and no, it’s not against Jon Jones. Poatan’ successfully defended his…

Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev - Light Heavyweight Showdown Looms Ankalaev Claims Dana White Said

Alex Pereira’s next fight is all lined up, and no, it’s not against Jon Jones.

Poatan’ successfully defended his light heavyweight title three times in 2024, scoring a trio of highlight-reel knockouts against Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree. Recent rumors suggested that the UFC was courting Pereira to save another event after its welterweight headliner at UFC 310 on December 7 fell through.

Alex Pereira

Unfortunately, it sounds like the ‘Brazilian Boogeyman’ won’t be closing out the promotion’s pay-per-view scheduled next month, but we do know who he’ll face when 2025 rolls around.

According to top-ranked contender Magomedov Ankalaev, UFC CEO Dana White has confirmed that he will be next in line for a shot at Pereira’s 205-pound title.

Alex Pereira

“@danawhite told my team I’m next for Alex,” Ankalaev wrote on X. “Thank you for clearing this today.”

Dana White shoots down jon jones’ demands for a fight with Alex pereira

Pereira vs. Ankalaev has been rumored for some time and, by all accounts, is the fight to make at the top of the light heavyweight division. Especially after Ankalaev’s 11th straight win against Aleksandar Raki? in Abu Dhabi. However, there was some doubt about their pairing, particularly after undisputed heavyweight king Jon ‘Bones’ Jones began lobbying hard for a BMF bout with Pereira.

“Alex Pereira is the only fight, right now, that makes sense to my legacy,” Jones said during Wednesday’s UFC 309 media day. “At the end of the day, Pereira is worth risking it for me. He [Aspinall] just doesn’t have the titles. He can have the high finishing rate, but he doesn’t have titles. It only makes sense to fight someone on your level.”

Unfortunately for Jones, Dana White isn’t interested in making that fight happen. During an appearance on The Jim Rome Show, the UFC CEO shot down any possibility of a bout between ‘Bones’ and Pereira, adding that if Jones wants to fight beyond Saturday’s card in NYC, there’s only one open road to take.

“Jon will do what he does on Saturday,” White said. “If he wins, he’ll disappear for a while and the competitive spirit will start bubbling up again, and then money will talk. If he doesn’t decide to retire, he absolutely, positively fights Aspinall. He’s not fighting Pereira.

“[Pereira] was a middleweight who moved up to light heavyweight. He’s also a kickboxer who has done very, very well in MMA. His wrestling isn’t even near the level of Jon Jones, and Jon Jones is way bigger than him. If Jon Jones wants to fight again after Saturday night, he will fight Tom Aspinall.”

Alex Pereira

The Only UFC Fighter To Beat Magomed Ankalaev Says What Could Cost Him In A Fight With Alex Pereira

At UFC 308, Magomed Ankalaev seemingly cemented his status as the next man to challenge Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title. Aside from one draw and a no contest, the Russian contender has won eleven fights in a row inside the Octagon and has waited a long time for his opportunity. In his latest […]

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At UFC 308, Magomed Ankalaev seemingly cemented his status as the next man to challenge Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title. Aside from one draw and a no contest, the Russian contender has won eleven fights in a row inside the Octagon and has waited a long time for his opportunity.

In his latest win in Abu Dhabi last month, he stuck to his word by standing and striking with Aleksandar Raki? for three rounds in order to prove a point about his well-rounded skill set. Ankalaev’s striking has certainly improved during his time in the UFC but there’s no denying that his grappling is still his strongest attribute, even if he doesn’t use it much.

Ankalaev’s one and only loss in the UFC came on his debut with the promotion where he faced Scotland’s Paul Craig in London. “Bearjew” was coming off of consecutive knockout losses at the time so needed a win in order to keep his UFC dream alive.

Despite being moments away from losing the fight, he incredibly pulled off a buzzer beater submission with just one second left on the clock, catching Ankalaev in a triangle choke. Ahead of his return at UFC 309 this weekend where he faces Bo Nickal at middleweight, Craig gave his thoughts on Ankalaev’s chances of becoming the champion in a recent interview with talkSPORT MMA.

Craig believes that his former foe is in a good position to dethrone “Poatan” but he cannot afford to go into this fight with the same stubbornness that will see him strike with the champion rather than utilizing his grappling.

“When you bring in someone like the Dagestanis who have incredible wrestling pressure and work ethic, it’s tough. Do I think Ankalaev can beat Pereira? I do believe he can. I believe he’s got all the credentials as long as he doesn’t go into this thing where he believes he’s a striker. You stand in front of someone with a kickboxing pedigree that Pereira has and I believe it can be a 50:50 lottery sometimes. Ankalaev, if he plays his skill set well and uses his wrestling and uses his striking to get in deep and out wrestle, I believe that’s how he can get that victory.”   

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Magomed Ankalaev Becomes Latest To Brand Jon Jones ‘Scared’ Of Tom Aspinall, Champ Hits Back

The pressure on UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones to fight Tom Aspinall is continuing to mount just days away from his first title defense. Jones will return to the cage 20 months on from his crowning in March 2023, when he debuted at heavyweight by rapidly submitting Ciryl Gane to capture the then-vacant belt. While […]

Continue Reading Magomed Ankalaev Becomes Latest To Brand Jon Jones ‘Scared’ Of Tom Aspinall, Champ Hits Back at MMA News.

The pressure on UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones to fight Tom Aspinall is continuing to mount just days away from his first title defense.

Jones will return to the cage 20 months on from his crowning in March 2023, when he debuted at heavyweight by rapidly submitting Ciryl Gane to capture the then-vacant belt.

While his first challenger was also penciled in last year, an injury forced Jones out of a Madison Square Garden headliner opposite the returning Stipe Miocic. A year on, the pair will give their matchup another go in the main event of UFC 309 at MSG.

That, however, is despite the presence of an interim titleholder in Aspinall, who had gold wrapped around his waist after knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in their late-notice clash last November, which replaced the original Jones vs. Miocic showdown.

Having also defended his strap in the months since, Aspinall has plenty of backers when it comes to his calls for a unification fight. But not only did Jones dismiss that for his upcoming defense, he’s also seemingly planning to either hang up his gloves or target the champ from below, Alex Pereira, should he get past Miocic on Saturday night.

“Bones” has been responding to much criticism online for that stance, and though that’s seen him hit back at fans for the most part, his latest back and forth came with the top contender in the division he formerly ruled.

Commenting on a social media post detailing Jones’ recent remarks about favoring a clash with “Poatan” over his interim counterpart, Magomed Ankalaev joined in with those suggesting the Rochester native is ducking Aspinall.

“Sound like someone (scared) of big TOM,” Ankalaev wrote.

It didn’t take long for Jones to take notice of the Russian’s words, branding him ‘jealous’ and challenging the surging light heavyweight to replicate his résumé on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

“Magomed jealousy won’t earn you legend status, my friend,” Jones wrote. “Train harder, hate less. Want to truly insult me? Break some of my records first. Let’s get started.”

It stands to reason that Aspinall will be a prominent topic throughout UFC 309 fight week, especially given the interim champ’s presence in New York City as the backup fighter for the main event.

Continue Reading Magomed Ankalaev Becomes Latest To Brand Jon Jones ‘Scared’ Of Tom Aspinall, Champ Hits Back at MMA News.

‘He Knows How to Give Up’ – Magomed Ankalaev Mocks Alex Pereira with Brutal Compilation of His Losses

'He Knows How to Give Up’ - Magomed Ankalaev Mocks Alex Pereira with Brutal Compilation of His LossesAhead of their rumored light heavyweight title clash, Magomed Ankalaev shared a compilation of Alex Pereira’s losses. With Belal…

'He Knows How to Give Up’ - Magomed Ankalaev Mocks Alex Pereira with Brutal Compilation of His Losses

Ahead of their rumored light heavyweight title clash, Magomed Ankalaev shared a compilation of Alex Pereira’s losses.

With Belal Muhammad no longer expected to defend his welterweight title against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 on December 7, everyone seemingly expects ‘Poatan’ to step up and save yet another fight card. If that proves to be the case, the Brazilian boogeyman will likely be tasked with taking out the division’s top-ranked contender, Magomed Ankalaev.

Coming off a big win over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, Ankalaev is more than ready to make the quick turnaround if it means finally getting another shot at the light heavyweight championship.

Magomed Ankalaev

No official announcements have been made by the UFC, but the Dagestani star is already hard at work trolling ‘Poatan’ on social media via a video collecting some of Pereira’s losses from his GLORY Kickboxing days.

“[Alex] lost 10 times when I beat him,” Ankalaev wrote in a post on X. “This is gonna be something very normal for him. He’s a good loser and I’ll make it easy. For him he know how to give up.”

Magomed Ankalaev keeps the fiery posts coming

It’s certainly not the first time Ankalaev has slammed the two-division champion. On Sunday, he promised to “punish” Pereira in their inevitable showdown and even slammed ‘Poatan’ for taking short-notice opportunities against everyone except him.

Magomed Ankalaev

“I promise all my friends I’m going to punish this guy I will knock him out Inshallah,” Ankalaev added.

Magomed Ankalaev

“Willing to fight everyone short notice but with me, he knows he have to be ready he’s not stupid,” Ankalaev continued.

Ankalaev is 20-1-1 in his mixed martial arts career with his lone loss coming against Paul Craig during his UFC debut in March 2018. Since then, he has won 11 fights inside the Octagon with one no-contest and a draw coming against Jan Blachowicz when the two met at UFC 282 for the vacant 205-pound title.

Magomed Ankalaev Continues To Berate Alex Pereira: ‘Willing To Fight Everyone Short Notice But Me’

When Belal Muhammad was announced to have withdrawn from his upcoming welterweight title defense at UFC 310, everyone had the same thought. If the UFC needed someone to step in and save the main event, there was only one name they could call. The biggest argument for Alex Pereira being the 2024 fighter of the […]

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When Belal Muhammad was announced to have withdrawn from his upcoming welterweight title defense at UFC 310, everyone had the same thought. If the UFC needed someone to step in and save the main event, there was only one name they could call.

The biggest argument for Alex Pereira being the 2024 fighter of the year is that he has stepped up and delivered for the UFC when they needed him most on several occasions. “Poatan” has already saved two big cards in UFC 300 and UFC 303 but doing it again would have been unthinkable.

It also appeared from his social media that his likely challenger, Magomed Ankalaev, was down to make a quick turnaround from UFC 308 to fight on December 7 in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, it now looks like Pereira’s last fight against Khalil Rountree in October will stop him from doing that.

During a recent appearance on the Podpah podcast, Pereira revealed that he’s dealing with a hand injury after Rountree was able to withstand a lot of damage before being stopped in the fourth round.

“In that 4th round, I was throwing jabs and it was hurting my hand man, I swear. I was thinking ‘my hand must be broken’. It still hurts today. It’s not that bad, but if I touch right here it hurts.”

Though Pereira has fought through injuries in the past, “Poatan” faces a tough test in Ankalaev who he’ll surely want to be at his best for. This was echoed in Ankalaev’s response to the video on social media.

The top light heavyweight contender replied to Pereira’s comments and claimed that the champion knows that he can’t risk it this time around unlike some of his previous fights.

“Willing to fight everyone short notice but with me, he knows he have to be ready he’s not stupid”

Continue Reading Magomed Ankalaev Continues To Berate Alex Pereira: ‘Willing To Fight Everyone Short Notice But Me’ at MMA News.

Alex Pereira Approached To Save The Day — Again — After UFC 310 Loses Main Event

The UFC has reportedly turned to a familiar face in Alex Pereira after losing its headline attraction for the final pay-per-view event of the year. Reports emerged on Thursday regarding a potential injury suffered by UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad, who was booked to headline UFC 310 in Las Vegas on Dec. 7 in defense […]

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The UFC has reportedly turned to a familiar face in Alex Pereira after losing its headline attraction for the final pay-per-view event of the year.

Reports emerged on Thursday regarding a potential injury suffered by UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad, who was booked to headline UFC 310 in Las Vegas on Dec. 7 in defense of his title against Shavkat Rakhmonov.

“Remember the Name” subsequently confirmed the disappointing news on social media, posting an image of a gruesome bone infection that hospitalized him and will keep him out of training for the next six weeks.

With that, the promotion will need to secure a new headline matchup to close out its PPV schedule for 2024. And when it comes to saviors, no one has fit the description in 2024 quite like “Poatan.”

Pereira, a former UFC middleweight champion and the reigning light heavyweight kingpin, has had a bumper year inside the Octagon, reeling off three straight title defenses in record-breaking speed to establish himself as one of the sport’s biggest stars.

The manner of his first two defenses only added to the plaudits thrown his way, with Pereira saving the promotion after a struggle to secure a suitable UFC 300 main event and the withdrawal of Conor McGregor from UFC 303 less than three months later.

Having added the name of Khalil Rountree to his reign’s list of victims at UFC 307 earlier this month, it appeared that Pereira would finally be due a long-earned rest.

While that still might be the case, MMA Mania is reporting that “Poatan” has indeed been contacted about headlining UFC 310 against Magomed Ankalaev in light of Muhammad vs. Rakhmonov being off.

The welterweight number one contender seemingly has something to say about that, however. After wishing his injured opponent well on X, “Nomad” called to remain on the UFC 310 card in competition for an interim welterweight strap.

It remains to be seen whether Muhammad will be out for long enough to warrant the creation of another belt. But should no other options come to fruition for the Dec. 7 headline slot, the promotion has previously shown a willingness to add interim belts to the equation in such scenarios.

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