#2 ranked UFC light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev is waiting in the wings for his title shot. The Dagestani, of course, came painfully close to winning the 205-pound title against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 282 two years ago, only for the bout to be adjudged a draw, and the (then) title remaining vacant. Until Alex Pereira won it in style at UFC 295, with a second-round knockout of former champion Jiri Prochazka.

Now, with the rest of the top five dealt with, or coming off of losses, Ankalaev is the clearest candidate to face ‘Poatan’ for the latter’s third title defense. And Ankalaev is looking forward to facing ‘Poatan’ despite the Brazilian’s lethal reputation, and thinks a possible Alex Pereira vs. Jon Jones fight is just a gimmick.

Ankalaev thinks Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira dead on arrival

After both of his last two wins (at UFC 300 and UFC 303), Alex Pereira has called for a heavyweight title shot. ‘Poatan’, of course, is a two-division champion, and a win at heavyweight would make him the first and only fighter to be a three-division champ in the UFC. While UFC CEO Dana White has shot down the idea both times, preferring ‘Poatan’ “clear out” the 205-pound division first, heavyweight champ Jon Jones subsequently floated a possible fight with Pereira for the 270-pound crown.

However, Ankalaev thinks that the UFC will want to protect Pereira and prevent him from fighting Jon Jones, who not only has historically great and dynamic striking, but an equally dangerous ground game to boot, where Pereira purportedly lacks severely. The Dagestani had no doubt that talks of Jones-Pereira were just to create ‘hype’ as it is unlikely to actually materialize.

“As we understand, Jon Jones is a universal fighter. He is the same dangerous striker who has grappling too. I don’t know if the UFC will put him there, it’s just for the sake of hype. Knowing that his opponent is a puncher, he will play with him and dictate how this fight will go,” Ankalaev said in an interaction with Submission Radio.

It is worth mentioning, however, that Alex Pereira, in a recent interview has said that while he is totally focused on defending his light heavyweight title at the moment, he would be open to fighting anyone not just Jones at heavyweight, but only if it is for the undisputed title.

In addition, the Dagestani, was confident that should they meet in the octagon, as seems to be in the cards, he would be good enough to knock out the ‘overrated’ Pereira. “Yes his punch is too overrated. He has a standard left hook punch, I don’t see anything [special] in his striking technique,” Ankalaev added. But Alex Periera is unperturbed.

‘Poatan’ ready for Magomed Ankalaev

In a recent interview posted on his official YouTube account, Alex Pereira made some revelations about his future plans. The reigning 205-pound champ revealed that he was going on a little break from fighting, and who can blame him. The Brazilian, after all, has fought three times over the past eight months and delivered every time.

However, surprisingly, the break in question, according to ‘Poatan’ would last merely until November or December of this year, when he wants to defend his title again. And the Brazilian is ‘ready’, most probably for Ankalaev, who he thinks is a “good fight” for him. “A lot of people say Ankalaev… But I’m training well, not just for him, but for anyone… I’ll be well prepared for him, or anyone,” he said.

While Pereira may be focused on the 205-pound division at the moment, he, Jones, and the fans are all on-board him moving up and fighting for the 270-pound title. But Dana White remains unmoved. But the future, as always in the fight game, remains full of possibilities, including that the UFC CEO may come around to Jones-Pereira for the heavyweight title.

Do you wish to see Pereira defending his title against Ankalaev in the octagon? Let us know in the comments below.