ABU DHABI – [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] has been on the cusp of greatness in the UFC, and the road back, he’s finding, sometimes has unexpected bumps.
There haven’t been bumps for Ankalaev (20-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) that involve losses. Saturday, he outworked Aleksandar Rakic (14-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) at UFC 308 and stayed on track at light heavyweight.
It’s been nearly two years since Ankalaev fought Jan Blachowicz for the then-vacant light heavyweight title. They fought to a draw, and the belt stayed without an owner. Ankalaev fought Johnny Walker 10 months after that and had to deal with a no contest.
But he knocked him out when they ran it back earlier this year, and his win over Rakic, UFC CEO Dana White said, likely makes him next for 205-pound champ [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag]. But Ankalaev thinks the UFC might be trying to keep its busiest titleholder safe.
“Let’s do it: Alex, stop running away from me. … I have heard that he wants to fight during Ramadan. We are not fighting in Ramadan. Otherwise, after Ramadan or before Ramadan, if he says yes, we will fight him.”
There has been talk that Pereira, a former middleweight champion, as well, could move to heavyweight to go after a historic third belt. If that happens before a potential fight with Ankalaev, he thinks it might speak volumes.
“I think he’s being protected,” Ankalaev said. “I’m not sure why the UFC is doing it. I think they’re protecting him. We know that he’s an exciting fighter. We know that he fights in the standup. He’s a great striker. So I think that they’re just saving him, protecting him.”
Ankalaev hasn’t lost since his UFC debt in early 2018 – a submission to Paul Craig that remains the lone loss of his career. Over a nine-month stretch ahead of his vacant title fight with Blachowicz, he had three straight wins over former title challengers Volkan Oezdemir, Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith.
“I don’t care who I fight in this division. I’ve already fought all the top fighters,” Ankalaev said. “If Pereira goes to heavyweight, I don’t care. I’ll fight anyone who is in the UFC. Whoever UFC puts in front of me, that’s who will fight for the title.”
But if some way, somehow, it’s Pereira, Ankalaev thinks the belt is coming home with him.
“It’s MMA, so of course I can strike with him,” he said. “I can wrestle with him. I don’t really think that this is going to be that much of a hard fight for me. I think I’ve had harder fights in the division.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.