Is Magomed Ankalaev the new Colby Covington? After defeating Alex Pereira at UFC 313, Magomed Ankalaev has gone on a rampage on X, taking shots at practically everyone, starting with former UFC light-heavyweight champion, Jiri Prochazka. The latter took to his X handle to congratulate Ankalaev and ask Alex Pereira for a third fight, “Congrats to@AnkalaevM, beautiful pressure. Most of people don’t like it, but you won the title for now.@AlexPereiraUFC, last dance ?” But it appears that the Dagestani was in no mood to parlay with one of his prospective opponents.

Jiri Procházka’s congratulatory message to Magomed Ankalaev on his victory received a rather unexpected response. The newly minted light-heavyweight champion humiliated the former champ by calling him a fraud, “I think you are a fraud and so many guys deserve it more than you you need to go win some fights.”

We might all be wondering the same thing. What was that for? Prochazka is one of those guys who just come to fight. You will not see him badmouthing or trash-talking his opponents. Sure, he might accuse you of black magic practices if you have ungodly power like Alex Pereira, but he has no gripe with Ankalaev.

The champion’s reaction seemed somewhat far-fetched, as he had no reason to attack Procházka in such a manner. Responding to another X post featuring ‘The Czech Samurai,’ he wrote, “This guy is a terrible fighter.” And it was not just Prochazka that he took an issue with.

“Khalil bum tree upset I beat his daddy let’s go Jamaal,” he responded to a video of Khalil Rountree Jr. with his face buried in his hands during Ankalaev vs. Pereira. Rountree Jr. is taking on Jamahal Hill at UFC Kansas City next month and now we know who the new champ is rooting for. But he was far from done. His next target – Jon Jones!

Jones has more title defences than all the current male UFC champions combines. He wrote “Small flex” in response to a social media post about the same. Ankalaev’s clapback? “Yes, but all this CHAMPIONs clean his big cheater we all know this😊.” He even took shots at those who picked Pereira to win, naming Israel Adesanya, Max Holloway, Alexander Volkanovski, Kamaru Usman, Michael Bisping, and Henry Cejudo. “Sorry guys I disappointed you 😊,” he wrote.

Oh and by the way, Ankalaev also anointed himself ‘Muhammad big ANK.’ What could be the reason behind this switch-up in persona? Is it because his fighting style has been unanimously judged boring by the fans and Dana White himself? The UFC CEO was evidently not happy with what he saw in the main event. His response during the post-fight presser hinted as much. Is Ankalaev embracing the villain role to get his stock up, like Covington did all those years ago? Will ‘Big Ank’ be the new ‘Chaos’?

Since his return, Prochazka has been trying to reclaim his belt but he was stopped by Alex Pereira twice. However, despite the defeat, ‘BJP’ is looking to fight the former champ. Well, Jiri Prochazka might have to wait for his clash against ‘Poatan’ as the UFC might give Pereira an immediate rematch and his recent statement is the proof of it.

Alex Pereira releases rematch statement after loss against Magomed Ankalaev

“A fight that close, with a champion as great as Pereira has been, do you lean towards an immediate rematch?” veteran MMA reporter John Morgan asked Dana White at the UFC 313 post-fight press conference. The UFC CEO gave a subtle single-word answer that might just seal the deal for Alex Pereira, “Probably.” Dana White has big plans for his current biggest star and the light-heavyweight title is needed for that.

Interestingly, after losing his battle against Magomed Ankalaev, Alex Pereira took to his Instagram handle to brief his fans about the loss, and guess what he said?  A rematch! Yes, Pereira is looking for a rematch, “Gonna make some adjustments for the rematch, and I’ll be back much better, you can count on it. Never give up on your dreams. Chama,”  said Alex Periera on his Instagram handle.

Alex Pereira defended his title three times in just 11 months, capping off a perfect 3-0 run in 2024 with knockout victories over Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree Jr. However, 2025 was not that kind to him. The UFC CEO has already stated that the rematch might be a possibility. Given that, do you think Alex Pereira can take his title back? State your thoughts in the comments below.