Alex Pereira has become the undisputed face of the UFC over this year. After all, the Brazilian juggernaut has been on a stellar run, having defended his light heavyweight title a record-breaking three times in seven months in 2024 alone. But the one opponent fans want to see ‘Poatan’ take on is #1 ranked light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev. The Dagestani has had the best case for a title shot against the Brazilian this past year, but curiously, hasn’t gotten a chance to face him.

The UFC even booked then #8 ranked Khalil Rountree Jr. to fight Pereira at UFC 307, despite the Russian being desperate to fight ‘Poatan’. Some feel this is because the UFC is trying to protect Pereira, its golden goose at the moment. Protecting him from what? Well, former 205lbs and one of Pereira’s victims, Jamahal Hill explained in a recent interview.

“I give Ankalaev a big chance at winning it [a Pereira fight], just because of the way he fights, the style in which he fights,” he said. The first on his list was the Dagestani’s fighting style. “If you notice Ankalaev is a counter fighter. He, just the things that he pops out at you at first are just to get to draw things out of [you], right? And Alex is a pressure fighter, he’s a forward pressure fighter, he throws shots, he sits in them,” Hill told ‘Inside Fighting’ on YouTube.

This, Hill felt, was the perfect style to deal with a pressure fighter like Pereira, who isn’t exactly the most technically correct and has a tendency to drop his hands. Of course, there is also the small matter of Pereira’s lack of a ground game, which is another advantage Ankalaev has over him. To be fair, the Dagestani is primarily a striker but does have a ground game, which could trouble the Brazilian champ.

“He wants to sit heavy and hard in the shots, and he kind of leaves himself exposed to be countered. And Ankalaev counters the combination, you know. So there will be openings for him there to land. Plus Ankalaev is a southpaw, so that’s another factor of a puzzle that he’s gonna have to figure out. And then the wrestling from Ankalaev, so yeah I give him a chance,” Hill added.

And Ankalaev seems to agree with Hill, at least the Dagestani’s confidence certainly makes it seem so. Let’s see what ‘The Russian Terror’ has in mind.

Ankalaev promises to beat Alex Pereira twice in 2025

There is no guarantee when (or even if) Ankalaev will fight Pereira. However, with there being no other top-ranked guys in the 205lbs division worthy of facing ‘Poatan’ at the moment, all roads seem to lead to Ankalaev. And the Dagestani is absolutely pumped. It seems that being unfairly marginalized seems to have made Ankalaev quite upset at Pereira.

“I’m going to beat @AlexPereiraUFC in March, and I will give him a rematch in July, and then I will beat one of these b*ms like Jamahal Hill and Jiri in Abu Dhabi in October. @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite,” Ankalaev tweeted a couple of days ago.

Of course, that’s easier said than done. Alex Pereira after all, is an all-time great. It can be best understood by his ability to adapt and change his style to suit his opponents. But his hesitance to fight Ankalaev does raise questions about just how confident he is against the Dagestani, though.

Maybe like Hill, Pereira (or the UFC, who may be the ones standing between ‘Poatan’ and Ankalaev) too feels the #1 ranked 205-pounder may be a stylistic nightmare for him. Either way, it seems we may not have to wait too long before all these questions are answered once and for all. What do you think about Jamahal Hill’s take on Ankalaev’s matchup with Pereira? Tell us in the comment section below!