Magomed Ankalaev is ranked No. 2 in the light heavyweight division, but UFC matchmakers have yet to give him a title fight against Alex Pereira.
The Poatan is scheduled to defend the Light Heavyweight Championship against No. 8-ranked Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 on October 5. Ankalaev faces Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 on October 26. The promotion received a huge backlash from fans for this booking decision.
On his YouTube channel, Alex Pereira claimed that Magomed Ankalaev didn’t want to fight him.
“Everyone wants to know about me fighting Ankalaev. I came here to tell you I want it a lot. A lot of people don’t believe in my ground game and think it’ll be a problem for me. Everyone knows Glover’s story and what he did for the sport. I’m learning a lot from this guy. Not just him passing me techniques, but us training together with all my team. I think my team has all the conditions to be on the front lines of any guy in wrestling. Learning from them is an honor; I’m privileged. I’m in the right place.
A lot of people ask me: I always wanted to fight against Ankalaev; I threw that to the organization. Left it very clear, but Ankalaev didn’t want to fight against me. I don’t know the reason. If it was the location if he just didn’t want to. He isn’t the champion; he can’t pick anything. I think it’s the opportunity that shows up; he didn’t want it. He has his reasoning; I don’t know what it is. Came to tell you guys, I’m not scared of anyone; everyone knows my history. Everything I’ve done Who I went against, not just MMA but also kickboxing. I’m doing an excellent job. It’s obvious I want to fight this guy. I’m a competitive guy, not just controlling the emotion but also the reasoning. Trained well, learning and evolving every day. Show that to everyone. My fans. Always supporting me It’s what I can do. He made things difficult, but I’ll come across him soon. Count on all of you, all my fans.”