There is nowhere left for the UFC to turn when looking for the next light-heavyweight challenger for Alex Pereira’s belt other than towards Magomed Ankalaev.
With his victory over fifth-ranked Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308, the Dagestan-born number one contender is undeniable.
For months fans have discussed whether Ankalaev should have been sent to the back of the line after the draw in his title fight vs Jan Blachowicz, with detractors of the champion suggesting that Pereira and the UFC are trying to keep former kickboxer ‘Poatan’ away from the best wrestler in the division.
Ankalaev himself has suggested this, most recently when he told Pereira to “stop running.”
Now whether the champion wants to or not, he will have to face the Dagestani mixed martial artist, who has not lost since his UFC debut in 2018.
Yet will Ankalaev even bring his wrestling out against the former kickboxing world champion? The well-rounded contender has shot one takedown in his last three fights, all against strikers, and has said before that he will knock Pereira out if they ever fight.
Fans of the art part of mixed martial arts will want to see the Brazilian striker’s wrestling tested. Just how good is Pereira at MMA?
We all know he is a world class kickboxer, but only one elite opponent has ever truly tested his grappling, and that man (Blachowicz) took Alex down for most of the first round before gassing out and losing the next two. Has Pereira truly improved in the 17 months since that fight?
It remains to be seen if the 37-year-old is the true pound-for-pound talent that many say he is, that well rounded fighters like Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria are.
What is certain is that Magomed Ankalaev will be his toughest opponent yet, and that they will face off sometime in 2025.
