This previous weekend, after returning to profitable methods at UFC Abu Dhabi, Magomed Ankalaev referred to as out former two-division champion Alex Pereira for a trilogy bout.
Ankalaev dethroned Pereira by unanimous determination at UFC 313. After the title loss, the Brazilian was granted a right away title rematch, and at UFC 320, he TKO’d Ankalaev in 80 seconds to recapture the 205-pound throne.
After changing into a two-time UFC mild heavyweight champion, “Poatan” determined to vacate and transfer as much as heavyweight. On June 14, Pereira confronted Ciryl Gane on the White Home for the interim heavyweight championship. If Pereira needed to get previous “Bon Gamin,” he would have develop into the primary fighter in UFC historical past to have attained three-division glory (though the third belt would have been interim).
Nonetheless, “Poatan” was knocked out in Spherical 2 and despatched again to the drafting board by Gane.
Ankalaev, alternatively, after securing a TKO win over Bogdan Guskov, referred to as out Pereira for a trilogy bout. On the post-fight presser, he quipped:
“There’s any individual on the market who calls himself Chama and mentioned one thing like, ‘Are you continue to alive?’ Properly, if he [Alex Pereira] desires to come back down and take this struggle, I’m positive the UFC would even be very pleased to make that struggle occur.”
Try Magomed Ankalaev’s feedback about Alex Pereira beneath:
Alex Pereira has confirmed that he’s not shifting right down to 205 kilos
Alex Pereira signed a brand new contract with the UFC earlier than the White Home card and has clearly said that he’ll proceed competing at 265 kilos and has no intention of shifting down.
Subsequently, even when Magomed Ankalaev desires a rematch, it may well solely materialize if the latter strikes as much as heavyweight. Nonetheless, given the present panorama of the sunshine heavyweight division, Ankalaev would possible look to recapture the 205-pound throne over a possible heavyweight transfer.
The UFC brass are additionally unlikely to entertain something Ankalaev desires for the time being, as though he defeated Bogdan Guskov, the fight turned into a snoozefest and was closely booed by the Etihad Enviornment crowd in Abu Dhabi.
