Russian ace Magomed Ankalaev finally has his shot at the 205-pound championship, as he’ll take on Alex Pereira at UFC 313. After months of getting snubbed by ‘Poatan’, things have worked out in his favor. However, the champion appears to be extremely confident about his chances of beating Ankalaev as he decided to send a message with less than a couple of months to go for their fight.

“See you soon Ankalaev,” Alex Pereira wrote on X. There has been a lot of talk about the Brazilian star possibly making a jump to the heavyweight division, after getting linked with Jon Jones and even Tom Aspinall. But it seems like he’s still got some business left in the light heavyweight division, and it was only a matter of time before he fought Magomed Ankalaev. Back in December, he even wrote, “It won’t be Ankalaev ! 😭,” about his next fight.

Meanwhile, it is going to be Magomed Ankalaev’s second chance at the title since he started competing under the UFC banner. As we all know, his previous attempt at UFC gold ended in a disappointing draw when he took on former champion Jan Blachowicz. It remains to be seen if he can cross the finish line this time out against arguably the current biggest superstar of the UFC.

Pereira fought three times in seven months in 2024, saving UFC 303 on short notice in the process. His upcoming March outing will be his fourth outing in twelve months. His strength of schedule demanded some rest and since he last fought in October 2024, you can expect a rejuvenated ‘Poatan’ in Vegas.

Meanwhile, the fans were anticipating Dana White announcing this matchup, but it came as a surprise to some because ‘Poatan’ had previously shown no interest in fighting Magomed Ankalaev. Moreover, Pereira recently claimed that the Russian star was not next in line. But Ankalaev was quick to clap back at him.

Magomed Ankalaev’s recent social media back and forth with Alex Pereira

Just over a week ago, Alex Pereira really got on Magomed Ankalaev’s nerves when he posted on X that Magomed Ankalaev won’t be the next one to get a crack at his title. As expected, the Russian star unloaded on the Brazilian, reminding him that he has his obligations as a champion and as a fighter signed to the UFC and that they will soon meet inside the Octagon, which has turned out to be true.

“Alex Pereira, you going to do what you been told. You are an employee. See you soon,” Ankalaev responded to Alex Pereira’s recent snub before the UFC 313 announcement came to fruition. There is certainly no love lost between these two light heavyweight stars and now, it remains to be seen how Ankalaev responds to Pereira’s recent tweet following their fight announcement.

With less than a couple of months to go, who do you think will emerge victorious when they lock horns inside the Octagon? Let us know your predictions for this highly anticipated clash in the comments down below.