Magomed Ankalaev has expressed his willingness to rematch Alex Pereira for his first UFC light heavyweight title defense, pending Pereira’s agreement, as he returns to Dagestan after winning the championship and continues negotiations for his next fight.
Magomed Ankalaev’s ready for a rematch. He claims he “agreed instantly” to face Alex Pereira again. Now, it’s up to “Poatan” to accept the five-round challenge.
Returning to Dagestan, Ankalaev received a hero’s welcome after capturing the UFC light heavyweight title in Las Vegas. Headlining UFC 313 against the popular Brazilian, he told local media he’s negotiating his next move in the division.
“The negotiations are ongoing,” Ankalaev shared [h/t Red Corner MMA]. “At the moment, I don’t know who will be next for me, but we agreed instantly if they want a rematch. We are ready.”
In a tweet from Red Corner MMA, Ankalaev reiterated his openness to facing Pereira. Yet, he’s unsure if Pereira will be his first title defense opponent.
Pereira has been a prominent figure in the UFC with his remarkable rise and numerous highlight-reel finishes. Ankalaev acknowledges that some have tried to challenge them with comments and by delaying title shots.
“We understand that for a long time they were trying to break us mentally,” Ankalaev said. “There were some games against me, but we decided not to stop and keep going forward.”
With an undefeated streak of 14 octagon appearances, Ankalaev has victories over Aleksandar Rakic, Johnny Walker, Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, and Volkan Oezdemir. Now a UFC champion, he thanks the hundreds who welcomed him back to Makhachkala after his successful trip to Las Vegas.
“I want to sincerely thank all of you for coming here, for your support,” he expressed. “I felt it when I was in the USA, where everybody was rooting for my opponent. I knew that back at home everybody would root for me.”
Ankalaev concluded with gratitude: “May Allah give you good health, and may we all be united in Dagestan.”