After Alex Pereira dropped the light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev, he mentioned wanting to come back as soon as he could. He claimed that he wasn’t hurt badly, so a quick turnaround won’t be impossible. However, there has been no official word on the rematch from Dana White or the UFC. Meanwhile, Ankalaev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, dropped a bombshell about the light heavyweight title rematch during a recent interview.
Alex Pereira is a superstar, and he’s proven that inside the Octagon. Magomed Ankalaev’s manager wasn’t debating about that when he spoke about the Brazilian star, whom he calls a real warrior. However, Ali Abdelaziz believes that the contenders that Pereira has fought in his light heavyweight run prior to Ankalaev weren’t on the same level of striking as the Dagestan native, who’s more of a complete fighter than the rest of the division.
Ali claims the reigning champ should have sealed his name on the title a long time ago, but the UFC brass didn’t seem to be in favor of it. And he may not be wrong since Magomed Ankalaev defeated Alex Pereira at his own game. While dropping the news that Dana White and Co. are planning to set that rematch in October, Ankalaev’s manager claimed that the second fight will be a much rougher experience for the Brazilian than the first encounter.
“I think Alex is a good fighter. I think he’s a real fighter. He’s a lion. But in a way… Ankalaev should have been the champion 2-3 years ago. Alex would have never been the champion,” Ali Abdelaziz stated on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. “If they fight again, and they will fight again, probably in October, it’s going to be worse for Alex… Now, Ankalaev has the confidence… None of these guys [Pereira’s ex-opponents] were like high-level strikers. Ankalaev, he can wrestle, he can grapple, and he can strike.”
“I think this is Ankalaev time, should have been Ankalaev time. Hunter Campbell, Mick Maynard, [and] all the UFC, it was all sandbagging him. And now they know it’s coming and they was praying to lose,” Ali Abdelaziz added.
March 8, 2025, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: MAGOMED ANKALAEV 21-1-1, 1 NC of Teletl, Russia defeats ALEX PEREIRA 12-3-0 of SoÂo Paulo, Brazil by unanimous decision 49-46, 48-47, 48-47 during UFC 313 at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Las Vegas USA – ZUMAo117 20250308_zsp_o117_041 Copyright: xMikaelxOnax
While fans knew that Alex Pereira was going to get a rematch, Magomed Ankalaev recently expressed his irritation with ‘Poatan’. The Dagestan native has decided to fight another fighter at the moment, since the former champion’s demands weren’t to his liking. Let’s take a look at what he had to say.
Magomed Ankalaev wants Carlos Ulberg before Alex Pereira rematch
It’s never fun to be sitting at home when you’re the champion of a division. Magomed Ankalaev is going through a similar situation, and he’s not happy about it. In a recent tweet, the Dagestan native claimed that Alex Pereira has expressed his wish for the rematch to take place in March once again. This means Ankalaev will be observing Ramadan that month. So, the champion has a solution, which he’s mentioned in the past.
Instead of sitting at home and waiting for the rematch against Alex Pereira, Magomed Ankalaev wants to fight once before that. He wants the next best contender, which is Carlos Ulberg because he wants to be an active champion. “Breaking news } Alex now asking he want to fight me during Ramadan again I need more time, and the other clown he have to do his homework let me fight Carlos I think he’s more dangerous than all of them,” wrote Ankalaev.
Meanwhile, Alex Pereira appears to be in no rush to come back to action, which is a total 180-degree turn from what he had to say in the Octagon interview after his last fight. Dana White has also remained silent on this one, as we wait to see how things pan out for both fighters. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
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