Alex Pereira being protected? Magomed Ankalaev thinks so after UFC 308

ABU DHABI – Magomed Ankalaev has been on the cusp of greatness within the UFC, and the highway again, he’s discovering, generally has sudden bumps.

There haven’t been bumps for Ankalaev (20-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) that contain losses. Saturday, he outworked Aleksandar Rakic (14-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) at UFC 308 and stayed on monitor at mild heavyweight.

It’s been almost two years since Ankalaev fought Jan Blachowicz for the then-vacant mild heavyweight title. They fought to a draw, and the belt stayed with out an proprietor. Ankalaev fought Johnny Walker 10 months after that and needed to take care of a no contest.

However he knocked him out after they ran it again earlier this yr, and his win over Rakic, UFC CEO Dana White stated, seemingly makes him subsequent for 205-pound champ Alex Pereira. However Ankalaev thinks the UFC is perhaps making an attempt to maintain its busiest titleholder protected.

“Let’s do it: Alex, cease operating away from me. … I’ve heard that he needs to combat throughout Ramadan. We aren’t preventing in Ramadan. In any other case, after Ramadan or earlier than Ramadan, if he says sure, we’ll combat him.”

There was discuss that Pereira, a former middleweight champion, as properly, might transfer to heavyweight to go after a historic third belt. If that occurs earlier than a possible combat with Ankalaev, he thinks it’d converse volumes.

“I feel he’s being protected,” Ankalaev stated. “I’m unsure why the UFC is doing it. I feel they’re defending him. We all know that he’s an thrilling fighter. We all know that he fights within the standup. He’s an amazing striker. So I feel that they’re simply saving him, defending him.”

Ankalaev hasn’t misplaced since his UFC debt in early 2018 – a submission to Paul Craig that is still the lone lack of his profession. Over a nine-month stretch forward of his vacant title combat with Blachowicz, he had three straight wins over former title challengers Volkan Oezdemir, Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith.

“I don’t care who I combat on this division. I’ve already fought all the highest fighters,” Ankalaev stated. “If Pereira goes to heavyweight, I don’t care. I’ll combat anybody who’s within the UFC. Whoever UFC places in entrance of me, that’s who will combat for the title.”

But when a way, by some means, it’s Pereira, Ankalaev thinks the belt is coming house with him.

“It’s MMA, so in fact I can strike with him,” he stated. “I can wrestle with him. I don’t actually assume that that is going to be that a lot of a tough combat for me. I feel I’ve had more durable fights within the division.”

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