Magomed Ankalaev is angry at light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, this time over ‘Poatan’ calling out middleweight king Dricus Du Plessis. The #2 ranked light heavyweight is by far the most deserving candidate for a title shot at ‘Poatan’, but has been passed over time and again, this time for #8 ranked Khalil Rountree Jr, who is coming off a suspension due to accidental PED ingestion.

What really set Ankalaev off recently was Pereira claiming the Dagestani had turned down a UFC 307 booking opposite him. Ankalaev has vigorously denied this and essentially called ‘Poatan’ a liar over it.

But what has added fuel to the fire is ‘Poatan’ claiming he wants to go back to middleweight, after dealing with Rountree, to try and recapture his old title. Ankalaev thinks this is another sure sign that the 205-pound champ is looking to duck him and avoid him at all costs.

“You are so weak [Alex]. You only pick on the guys who are in lower division than you… there is a reason why you are fighting Khalil and not me,” Ankalaev tweeted.

Ankalaev, of course, is the only top-five 205-pounder who either has not already been beaten by the Brazilian or not coming off a loss. Not to mention he is ranked second behind the man (Jiri Prochazka) whom ‘Poatan’ has stopped twice in the past twelve months. This is why there is almost universal agreement that he deserves to fight for the title if rankings and recent form mean anything.

Further, many feel the Dagestani is a tough matchup for Pereira, who does his best work on the feet and doesn’t have much of a ground game. This is why Anakalev feels that the Brazilian chose to face Rountree, who is also almost exclusively a striker. Ankalaev on the other hand, while also a striker can more than handle himself on the ground, and thinks this is why ‘Poatan’ is hesitant to face him. And while Ankalaev thinks this is just a ploy for Pereira to try and duck him, it may just be the Brazilian wanting to put things right after the way he left the middleweight division.

Why does Alex Pereira want to challenge Dricus Du Plessis?

The only fight Alex Pereira has lost in the UFC was at middleweight. And quite a loss it was, as ‘Poatan’, the then middleweight champion was not just stopped by arch-nemesis Israel Adesanya at their UFC 287 rematch, but knocked out cold with toes curled, needing multiple people to resuscitate him.

With his tail between his legs, ‘Poatan’ moved to the light heavyweight division almost immediately after the loss, mostly because the weight cut to 185 pounds was extremely taxing on the Brazilian’s body. It was also part of the reason why his knockout at ‘Izzy’s hands was so brutal. After all the brain is much more vulnerable when the body is severely dehydrated as ‘Poatan’s was to make 185.

There is also Pereira’s ultra-competitive nature that his coaches have explained before. After his main event at UFC 300, the champion wanted a quick turnaround and headline UFC 301 in his home country, Brazil. At the time, one of his coaching staff mentioned how Pereira felt he had to be quick to achieve his dreams because he was already above 35 years of age. So for a guy like that, leaving a weight class on a KO loss is a recipe for sleepless nights.

However, with the title having changed hands, ‘Poatan’ wants to go back down perhaps for a final time and redeem his terrible UFC 287 loss. Or, in order to avoid fighting Magomed Ankalaev, depending on who you ask. What are your thoughts on Pereira wanting to challenge Du Plessis after UFC 307?