Magomed Ankalaev has only just been crowned the UFC’s light-heavyweight champion after a unanimous decision victory over Alex Pereira at UFC 313 a couple of weeks ago, but he’s now claimed he’s already agreed to his first title defense.
“I have a date and I accepted already, I hope my opponent will accept too,” Ankalaev wrote on social media today. “This time there will be no 5 rounds, I don’t get paid by the hour #BIGANK.”
It’s widely expected that Ankalaev’s opponent will again by Pereira, with even the Russian himself having already acknowledged that ‘Poatan’ had earned the right to a rematch after having successfully defended the title three times in the past year.
“Alex when your ready to go again you deserve this,” Ankalaev had wrote on X just a couple of days ago.
And while he’s not officially confirmed it yet, Pereira’s latest Instagram post suggests that he is eager to accept that invitation.
“Bora [Lets go] Ali. Chama,” Pereira posted, presumably referencing his manager Ali Abdelaziz, soon after Ankalaev’s latest update.
Meanwhile, former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has suggested that the reason Ankalaev is so eager to grant Pereira a rematch is that he believes he has his number now.
“I think the hype and confidence train that Pereira had, that if he touches you, you’re going to go out sort of vibe, is now moot-ish because Ankalaev didn’t die,” Whittaker said on his MMArcade podcast.
“Like, he didn’t go to sleep when Alex punched him. I think it gave him so much confidence that it’s almost lent itself to why he’s asking for that rematch straight away.
“He’s like, all the boogeyman vibes, all the mysteries and uncertainties are now gone. I can beat him. He is very beatable, he is human, like anybody else.
“I honestly think Ankalaev does better. I think it’s not as close as it just was. I don’t see the second fight going any differently.”
