The highly anticipated rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Johnny Walker finally took place at UFC Vegas 84. Their initial encounter, at UFC 294, ended in a no contest as the doctor deemed Walker unfit to continue. This led to the creation of the famous “I’m somewhere in the desert” meme in the MMA world. Interestingly, their second face-off proved to be just as captivating as ever.
The anticipation leading up to their bout was nothing short of a spectacle, with both fighters fully committed to tearing each other apart in the octagon. Magomed, holding the impressive #3 rank in the division, faced off against Walker, who had secured the #7 spot. Ankalaev’s winning streak in the UFC continues with the victory. Will the UFC give him a title shot next?
Will Magomed Ankalaev’s victory at UFC Vegas 84 earn him a title shot next?
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In a strategic battle͏, Magomed Ankalaev’s precision left hook dropped Johnny Walker, and a subsequent jab sealed the knockout ͏victory at UFC Vegas 84. Ankalaev showcased his striking prowess, concluding the bout spectacularly. Ankalaev put an end to the debate about who is better and with this, the fighter has inched very close to fight against the Brazilian sensation and the light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira.
The fighter is on a 10-fight winning streak and is just below Islam Makhachev in longest winning streaks. After the bout, Ankalaev took center stage to issue a challenge to Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight title. “The most important thing is, I’m ready to fight for the title. I have 10 wins in a row, I deserve it. I’m ready now.” said Ankalaev after winning the bout.
“The most important thing is, I’m ready to fight for the title. I have 10 wins in a row, I deserve it. I’m ready now.” – Magomed Ankalaev #UFCVegas84
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) January 14, 2024
Interestingly, it appears that Team Pereira has taken notice, as Glover Teixeira has hinted at a matchup between Ankalaev and Pereira. The former light heavyweight champion took to his Twitter handle to provide updates on it. Texeira writes “Great knockout. We will see u soon. #UFCFightNight”
Great knockout. We will see u soon. #UFCFightNight
— glover teixeira (@gloverteixeira) January 14, 2024
Ankalaev has been rooting for the belt for a long now and witnessing Pereira getting the title shot before him was a little upsetting for the Russian. Ankalaev even believes that Pereira got Dana White’s grace in order to compete in the light heavyweight division.
Ankalaev is not in favor of Alex Pereira’s champion status
Ankalaev had been eager͏ for another chance at ͏the championship after a draw prevented him from claiming ͏the throne in December 2022. However, over the subsequent 12 ͏months, Pereira entered the͏ weight class and secured the title for himself. In one of his recent statement, the fighter has claimed that he does not believe in Pereira’s champion status.
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While having a conversation with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri, Ankalaev said “Obviously, he worked hard to get to where he got to, but I don’t know if he did enough to get this chance and get this title.He moved up in weight. If you look at his fight with Błachowicz, I don’t know if he won that fight but the judges gave it to him. Then he obviously won in a dominant way against Procházka because Jiří has a problem with wrestling.”
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Ankalaev was unfazed by Pereira getting a title shot over him but seems like the fighter wants his belt now. Their fight may or may not happen soon but one thing’s for sure and that is Ankalaev’s ticket to the light heavyweight gold. What’s your opinion on Ankalaev as a fighter?