The UFC light heavyweight contender is confident he has done more than Jamahal Hill, who is considered the No. 1 contender by many, in the race to earn a title shot against champion Alex Pereira.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” Ankalaev said during the UFC on ESPN+ 92 [UFC Vegas 84 or UFC Fight Night 234] post-fight press conference on Saturday. “I’m more deserving of the belt because I have 10 wins, six of them by knockout. Jamahal Hill only has eight fights total in the UFC, so clearly I’m a more deserving contender than Jamahal Hill.”
Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) is undefeated in his last 12 fights, but Hill is a former champion of the division, who never lost his belt, which he had to relinquish last July after an injury. Hill’s manager recently said he was promised a championship fight. The UFC has yet to officially announce Pereira’s first defense fight.
Ankalaev returned to the octagon by knocking out Johnny Walker (21-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 234.
Ankalaev did not use one of his most powerful weapons in combat: wrestling. He wanted to send a message to the division and especially the champion, and said he would be willing to make a quick turnaround for UFC 300 on April 13.
“I could have gone out today and fought Johnny Walker,” Ankalaev said. “I could have taken him down right away and won with my ground and pound. Instead, I wanted to send a message. I wanted to get up and knock him out, and that’s what I did.
“Now for Glover Teixeira I have a message: don’t waste your time and try to teach your student how to wrestle. “He won’t need it. I’m going to come there, stand in front of him and I know he’s already been knocked out as a middleweight, so imagine what’s going to happen at light heavyweight. Believe me, he won’t feel comfortable there.
Following his impressive win at UFC Vegas 84, Ankalaev called out Pereira with the following message posted on Twitter:
“@AlexPereiraUFC I will make a deal like I did with Johnny, no kickboxing, I will test your jaw I hate more than Adesanya anytime, anywhere @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite @ufc”
@AlexPereiraUFC I will make a deal like I did with Johnny no wrestling kickboxing I will test your jaw I hate much harder than Adesanya anytime anywhere @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite @ufc
— Magomed Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) January 14, 2024
Dagestani Magomed Ankalaev responds to Alex Pereira’s ‘see you soon’ comment referring to Alex Pereira Magomed Ankalaev’s performance against Johnny Walker caught the attention of the entire UFC light heavyweight division, including former champion Glover Teixeira. The retired Brazilian legend works closely with 205-pound kingpin Alex Pereira, giving Teixeira another reason to keep an eye on Ankalaev.
Shortly after the main event of UFC Vegas 84, Teixeira responded to Ankalaev’s termination with the following message shared on Twitter:
“Great knockout. We’ll see you soon #UFCFightNight”
Great knockout. We will see u soon. #UFCFightNight
— glover teixeira (@gloverteixeira) January 14, 2024
Ankalaev responded by saying this about Teixeira’s reference to possibly fighting Pereira next:
“Thank you champion, you don’t have to wait long. I’m ready for your man.”
Magomed Ankalaev has proven to be a serious threat to the UFC light heavyweight throne. However, he should be ready for war if he is matched up against Alex Pereira, as ‘Poatan’ has put out several world-class fighters to create separate titles in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.
Thank you Champ you don’t have to wait too long. I’m ready for your guy.
— Magomed Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) January 14, 2024
