Magomed Ankalaev claims Dana White told him he’s next for UFC champion Alex Pereira: “Thank you for clearing this”

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.

Following the victory, Alex Pereira announced plans to take some time off. Since then, he’s shown interest in moving to heavyweight for a clash with fellow UFC champion Jon Jones. Despite calls for ‘Bones’ to face interim champion Tom Aspinall after Saturday, the 37-year-old has instead insisted on a bout with Pereira.

However, it seems Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev will actually be next. Earlier today, Dana White was asked about the Brazilian facing Jon Jones next, and he completely shut the idea down. Now, Ankalaev has taken to social media. In a brief post on X, the Russian claimed he was told by White earlier today that he was next for Pereira.

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@danawhite told my team I’m next for Alex thank you for clearing this today

— Magomed Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) November 14, 2024

Magomed Ankalaev claims he’s next for UFC light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira

For what it’s worth, Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev doesn’t come as a huge surprise. A fight between the two light heavyweights has been discussed for a long time now. For his part, Ankalaev repeatedly called for a title shot following a second-round knockout victory over Johnny Walker in January at UFC Vegas 84.

However, the title shot instead went to Rountree Jr. in October. Not long after that booking, Magomed Ankalaev was booked to face Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 last month in Abu Dhabi. In the potential title eliminator, the Russian emerged with a unanimous decision victory.

Nonetheless, fans shouldn’t expect to see this title fight for a while. Following his win last month, ‘Poatan’ announced plans to go on hiatus until March. Furthermore, he allegedly turned down an offer to return on short notice at UFC 310 next month in Las Vegas.

What do you make of these comments from the UFC light-heavyweight? Do you want to see Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev next?