Outside Source
Magomed Ankalaev is locked in for his long-awaited duel with Alex Pereira.
During Saturday’s UFC 311 broadcast, the promotion officially announced that Pereira’s next light heavyweight title defense will be against the No. 1 contender Ankalaev at UFC 313 on March 8 in Las Vegas. Pereira had a banner 2024 campaign that saw him successfully defend his belt three times, making him one of the hottest commodities in MMA and a target for champions from other divisions, including Jon Jones and Dricus du Plessis, but Ankalaev won the “Poatan” sweepstakes in the end.
He’s not wasting anytime letting everyone know he means business.
“You just sign your death certificate,” Ankalaev wrote on Twitter. “I’m gonna punish you for ducking me and I’m gonna make you look like a guy work in a tire shop, not professional fighter.”
You just sign your death certificate I’m gonna punish you for ducking me and I’m gonna make you look like a guy work in a tire shop not professional Fighter
— Magomed Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) January 20, 2025
Ankalaev earned his opportunity on the back of a 13-fight unbeaten streak dating back to 2018. Outside of a split draw against Jan Blachowicz and a no-contest against Johnny Walker (Ankalaev defeated Walker by knockout in a subsequent re-booking), the 32-year-old Russian has clearly separated himself from the pack at 205 pounds. His notable wins include Walker, Aleksandr Rakic, Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, and Volkan Oezdemir, among others.
He seeks to dethrone the white-hot Pereira, a former kickboxing star who has conquered two UFC divisions. Pereira, 37, won the UFC middleweight title in just his eighth pro MMA bout when he defeated longtime rival Israel Adesanya at UFC 281. After dropping the title back to Adesanya, he moved up to light heavyweight where he has won five straight with championship knockouts of Khalil Rountree Jr., Jiri Prochazka, and Jamahal Hill.
Ankalaev is confident he will be more prepared than Pereira when they finally face off. He went as far as to accuse Pereira of letting his newfound fame get to him, pointing to the champion’s frequent appearances at UFC events.
@AlexPereiraUFC he go to all UFC fight to get free alcohol and get camera time on the other hand. I’ve been training so hard March 8 alcohol not help you. CHMA
— Magomed Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) January 20, 2025
“[Pereira], he go to all UFC fight to get free alcohol and get camera time on the other hand,” Ankalaev wrote. “I’ve been training so hard, March 8, alcohol not help you.”
This article first appeared at MMA Fighting – All Posts
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