Manager reveals Magomed Ankalaev has his next fight booked and it’s not against Alex Pereira

Magomed Ankalaev will not be the next title contender for Alex Pereira.

After Pereira knocked out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303, all signs pointed to his next title defense being against Ankalaev who is ranked second at light heavyweight. It is an intriguing fight, but according to Ankalaev’s manager, Rizvan Magomedov, the Russian has his next fight booked and it is not against Pereira for the belt as the UFC wanted to go in a different direction.

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“I think we should expect this fight somewhere in the beginning of 2025. This fight should definitely happen. I agree with you, Magomed Ankalaev should fight for nothing but the title. As far as I understand, the organization has slightly different plans for Alex Pereira. In order not to stagnate, we already have a date and a fight. There will be an announcement soon about when Magomed Ankalaev will fight. After that, I think we will certainly fight for the title,” Magomedov said about Magomed Ankalaev.

When asked if Ankalaev’s next fight is against a top-ranked opponent he said it was but wouldn’t reveal the opponent. It’s interesting that Ankalaev will have to take another fight and won’t get a title shot. It’s uncertain who the opponent is or when Ankalaev will be fighting, but his next fight won’t be against Pereira.

As for Alex Pereira, it’s uncertain if this means he has another title defense booked against someone else or is taking time off and Magomed Ankalaev wants to stay busy which is why he’s taking another fight.

Magomed Ankalaev (18-1-1 and one NC) is coming off a second-round knockout win over Johnny Walker back in January after he fought Walker to a No Contest. Before the back-to-back fights against Walker, he fought Jan Blachowicz for the vacant light heavyweight title in a fight that ended up in a draw.

Ankalaev is 10-1-1 and one NC in the UFC and is on a 12-fight unbeaten streak. In his career, he holds notable wins over Volkan Oezdemir, Anthony Smith, Thiago Santos, and Nikita Krylov among others.