Former UFC light heavyweight title contender Magomed Ankalaev recently attended the MMA World: World Championships 2024 event held in Khanty-Mansiysk in Russia. There, he joined the rest of the organizers of that event for a press conference, where reporters would ask him if he’d like to fight Jon Jones, or if he’d like to get that big fight against Alex Pereira, and he had a very interesting, yet funny answer.

Obviously, nobody with an aim to secure such massive fights would ever turn down an offer if it presents itself. A confident Magomed Ankalaev compared Jon Jones and Alex Pereira to a sweet dish or a “dessert,” insinuating that he’d be up for both challenges. However, given that he’s currently in the division that’s ruled by ‘Poatan’, the Russian star intends to fight for the 205-pound strap. “The desserts are both very tasty [smiles]. But Pereira is in my division, so I would choose him,” Ankalaev stated as reported by ‘Ushatayka’.

Besides, Magomed Ankalaev has been calling out Alex Pereira for a really long time, which can be one of the biggest light heavyweight title fights in recent memory. The problem is that the Dagestan native hasn’t garnered Alex Pereira’s interest despite sending a warning on social media after his UFC 308 triumph. “I think I have done everything to deserve the next title shot. I’d like to talk to Alex and I’d like to tell him ‘Hey, stop running away from me’. We should fight, that’s what everybody wants to see,” said Ankalaev.

Magomed Ankalaev has been calling out Alex Pereira not just during live events, but on social media. It may come to a lot of folks as a surprise, but it seems like he’s delegated all his social media operations to another person, who’s also working to make Dana White pair up these two 205’ers.

Who took shots at Alex Pereira on behalf of Magomed Ankalaev?

Magomed Ankalaev has consistently been posting about Alex Pereira on X, suggesting that the LHW champion is avoiding the fight against him. But how does he manage to write his posts in English, despite not speaking the language? The answer lies with his manager, Ali Abdelaziz. During the aforementioned press conference, the 20-1-1 (NC) Dagestani star claimed that his manager has taken over the reins of his social media operations due to his inability to communicate properly in English. However, Abdelaziz runs the posts by Ankalaev before sending them out to the internet. Furthermore, Ankalaev took the time to explain the procedure of having his thoughts posted.

“He writes the tweets. But we talk to him. He doesn’t write anything without my knowledge. To get a fight, so as not to be avoided, you have to speak. I am aware of everything that is happening. He writes in English – English is needed there, but I don’t speak English,” Magomed Ankalaev added (via Google Translate). This revelation might make fans wonder if Ali Abdelaziz does the same for other fighters as well, and it is highly likely that he does.

Well, his lightweight counterpart Islam Makhachev definitely understands the importance of speaking English in getting opportunities and making money. Prior to his UFC 280 bout, he lightweight champion had Daniel Cormier and Ryan Clark in splits when he accused Oliveira of chasing money fights without speaking English – “Nobody understand this guy, he doesn’t speak English. English is important. If you want to make money, you have to speak some language which everybody understands.”

English or not, what matters in the Octagon is high level performances. What do you think of Ankalaev referring to Jones and Pereira as ‘desserts’? Do you think he’s misplaced in his confidence, or can he actually take these two champions in a one-on-one match up? Let us know in the comments down below.