Magomed Ankalaev News

Harry Kettle - March 4, 2025

Magomed Ankalaev has responded to Alex Pereira’s offer for a $200,000 wager on their title fight at UFC 313 this weekend. As we know, Magomed Ankalaev is set to challenge Alex Pereira for the UFC light heavyweight championship on Saturday night. It will serve as the biggest fight of his career, and the second title shot he’s received in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Some are counting him out, whereas others believe this is the moment for him to finally ascend to the top of the division.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 3, 2025

Alex Pereira believes the MMA world will get to witness just how good his grappling is at UFC 313. Pereira is set to put his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship at stake against Magomed Ankalaev this Saturday night. The title fight will headline UFC 313 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A big talking point going into the fight is whether or not “Poatan” can thwart the grappling of Ankalaev.

Harry Kettle - February 9, 2025

Magomed Ankalaev has gone off on Alex Pereira in a series of tweets ahead of their title showdown at UFC 313 next month. In just a matter of weeks, Magomed Ankalaev will get his shot at glory. He will challenge Alex Pereira for the UFC light heavyweight championship, with many believing this matchup has been a long time coming. Of course, he’s already had one crack at the belt before, falling short in a draw against Jan Blachowicz. That result, in many ways, set off a chain reaction that changed the face of the division at 205 pounds.

Harry Kettle - January 21, 2025

UFC contender Magomed Ankalaev has issued a warning to UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. As we know, Magomed Ankalaev has been waiting a long time to battle Alex Pereira. It felt, in many ways, like a collision that was inevitable. In his first title fight, Ankalaev was unable to get the job done in a draw with Jan Blachowicz. Now, however, he believes he is ready to dethrone ‘Poatan’ and claim the gold at UFC 313.

Harry Kettle - January 11, 2025

UFC contender Magomed Ankalaev has sent a stern warning to Alex Pereira with reports suggesting the two will fight one another later this year. After months of speculation, it seems as if Magomed Ankalaev’s moment has finally arrived. He is set to challenge Alex Pereira for the UFC light heavyweight championship later this year after spending a long time campaigning for another crack at the gold.

Josh Evanoff - January 10, 2025

According to Ariel Helwani, UFC champion Alex Pereira will likely face Magomed Ankalaev next. ‘Poatan’ hasn’t been seen in the octagon since a short-notice clash with Khalil Rountree in October. While many hoped to see Alex Pereira face the rising Magomed Ankalaev, he instead met ‘The War Horse’. Despite some early success from Rountree, the Brazilian broke down his challenger to score a fourth-round knockout win at UFC 307.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 6, 2025

Much has been made over who Alex Pereira’s next opponent will be, but Magomed Ankalaev’s manager says there is only one option. Pereira is the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion. It’s been clear to fans and experts that Ankalaev is the rightful contender, but there’s been some gamesmanship going on between the two. Ankalaev has insisted that “Poatan” is ducking him, while the 205-pound champion is saying that UFC officials think the top contender is too boring to headline a pay-per-view card.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 5, 2025

UFC color commentator Joe Rogan believes he knows what the holdup is with Alex Pereira’s next title fight. Fight fans who have been paying attention to the light heavyweight title picture can conclude that Magomed Ankalaev is a clear deserving number one contender. Ankalaev hasn’t been defeated since his UFC debut back in March 2018, and it remains the lone defeat of his pro MMA career. More recently, the Russian contender defeated Aleksandar Rakic via unanimous decision to improve his record to 19-1, 1 NC.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 16, 2024

Jan Blachowicz doesn’t believe Magomed Ankalaev has shown anything that leads him to believe he can dethrone Alex Pereira. Pereira is the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion. It’s become clear that Ankalaev has done enough to be his next title challenger, as he’s gone 11-0-1. 1 NC in his last 13 fights. The title fight has not been made official at this time.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - November 24, 2024

Jamahal Hill has taken aim at Magomed Ankalaev. Ankalaev is likely next in line for a shot at UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. Hill is a former 205-pound titleholder, and he’s looking to rebound from a first-round KO against “Poatan.”

Josh Evanoff - November 14, 2024

It appears that Magomed Ankalaev will indeed be next for UFC light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. ‘Poatan’ has been out of the cage since a showdown with Khalil Rountree Jr. in October. In the main event of UFC 307, Alex Pereira faced far more trouble than many expected. ‘The War Horse’ dropped the light-heavyweight champion in round two, and entered the championship rounds up on the scorecards. However, the Brazilian ultimately broke him down to secure a fourth-round knockout win.

Cole Shelton - November 1, 2024

Alex Pereira is unlikely to make a fourth defense of his light heavyweight title in 2024. After Belal Muhammad was forced to withdraw from UFC 310 due to a toe infection, Pereira was linked to make another quick turnaround and defend his belt against Magomed Ankalaev. However, according to Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighitng, Pereira vs. Anakalev is not an option for UFC 310 on December 7.

Cole Shelton - October 29, 2024

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill was not happy with Magomed Ankalaev’s performance at UFC 308. Ankalaev picked up a decision win over Aleksandar Rakic in a rather lackluster fight. Neither man threw many strikes, as Hill called it boring. But, he says the blame is on Ankalaev for making it such a boring fight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 28, 2024

Magomed Ankalaev is convinced that Alex Pereira is avoiding him. Ankalaev shared the Octagon with Aleksandar Rakic on the main card of UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. It was a pivotal fight for Ankalaev, who was told he’d need an impressive win to secure another light heavyweight title bout.

Chris Taylor - October 26, 2024

We have you covered for all of today’s UFC 308 results, including the light heavyweight bout between Magomed Ankalaev and Aleksandar Rakic. Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA) will be returning to the Octagon for the first time since January of this year, where he earned a second-round knockout victory over Johnny Walker (see that here). The Russian standout will be looking to earn a title shot against Alex Pereira with an impressive showing this afternoon.

Harry Kettle - October 26, 2024

UFC fighter Magomed Ankalaev is ready to make a statement tonight as he prepares to battle Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308. In the eyes of many, Magomed Ankalaev is the rightful number one contender for the UFC light heavyweight championship. However, he was passed over for Khalil Rountree Jr, with Magomed instead being given a fight against Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308.

Curtis Calhoun - October 17, 2024

UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira might stop the promotion from giving Magomed Ankalaev a title shot if he wins his upcoming fight later this month. Pereira successfully defended the UFC light heavyweight belt by finishing Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307. Despite a slow start to the fight, Pereira rallied as the fight went on, battering and defeating Rountree in Round 4.

Josh Evanoff - October 8, 2024

UFC light-heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev is interested in facing Jon Jones. The 32-year-old Russian is in a bit of an odd situation right now. Magomed Ankalaev last appeared in the cage in January, in an UFC Apex main event. There, the light-heavyweight contender faced Johnny Walker in a rematch of their no-contest last October. Ultimately, it took just two rounds for Ankalaev to secure a knockout victory.