Magomed Ankalaev has a clear mission: to fight again for the UFC light heavyweight belt. Back at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, the Russian defeated Aleksandar Rakic by unanimous decision and reached the top of the ranking in the category. With a streak of 13 fights without losing, it seemed like he would finally get the fight against Alex Pereira after Belal Muhammad pulled out of UFC 310, leaving the main card open for the duo to save. But it seems like the negotiations are tricky for the Russian fighter.

In a tweet on X, he wrote, “I was offered three dates December, February, and March, and I agreed to all three dates. I have to win by KO. I have no problem. It is condition.” So it seems like there might be some sort of negotiations going on for a fight against Pereira, however, they aren’t as concrete as fans would like them to be.

Shortly after UFC 307, Alex Pereira appeared on Ariel Helwani’s show. There, his translator/coach Plinio Cruz said, “Ideally, he would fight around June, it would be ideal, but he would maybe like to fight around March, even, but honestly, say, if it were up to him, he’ll fight in December right now.” Putting two and two together, Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev could be the replacement UFC 310 headliner. But don’t get your hopes up just yet. On the same show, ‘Poatan’ revealed why December would not realistically be possible, even though he had no problem fighting then.

Pereira added via Cruz, “But the problem is these two fights happened too soon and we had a lot of appearances, a lot of trips, a lot of business to do and we had to push them for after these two fights because they were scheduled for before. The guys who organized it understood, but we have some obligations to do so he feels that around March is a good date.” 

Two of the timelines Alex Pereira’s team mentioned are there in the contracts offered to Ankalaev – December and March. But with the champion’s outside-the-cage schedule and consistent appearances over the last calendar year, March seems like the more probable option, if not June. What’s more, after rumors surfaced online about the UFC contacting Pereira for another quick turnaround, Ariel Helwani reported that Pereira’s team had denied the claim. Does that mean Ankalaev is fighting another contender on December 7?

This would be contrary to what others believed would happen, since after UFC 308, Dana White praised Magomed Ankalaev’s performance and indicated that his next match should finally be against ‘Poatan’ for the light heavyweight title. And what about the claim that he has to win by KO? Is Ankalaev getting the Muhammad Mokaev treatment, where matchmakers need to see a stylistic change from him? If that’s the case then the December fight will likely be against a contender where the UFC will vet Ankalaev for a title fight in 2025.

Facing and defeating the likes of Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree Jr. is not an easy feat. And defeating all three of them via knockout proves the might and skill of the ‘Poatan.’ However, according to Magomed Ankalaev, Pereira is actually scared of facing him and is even being protected by Dana White and the company.

Magomed Ankalaev accuses UFC of protecting Alex Pereira

At the UFC 308 press conference, Magomed Ankalaev blamed the champion, Alex Pereira, for the duel not taking off, but now he did not forgive the company either. Ankalaev accused the UFC of doing everything possible to avoid fighting the Brazilian because they intend to protect him. It’s worth noting that, today, ‘Poatan’ is one of the company’s stars because he’s an exciting pro in the Octagon and fights frequently.

It’s no wonder the light heavyweight champion saved major league events more than once. In fact, the Russian himself recognizes the merit of his opponent. However, Magomed Ankalaev did not hide his discomfort because Khalil Rountree, who was ranked eighth in the category, was selected by the UFC to face Alex Pereira before receiving the opportunity. Precisely for this reason, the athlete, pointed out by part of the MMA community as the great threat to the Brazilian’s reign, questioned the company’s decision to ‘lock him up’.

He said, “Alex, stop running away from me. … I have heard that he wants to fight during Ramadan. We are not fighting in Ramadan. Otherwise, after Ramadan or before Ramadan, if he says yes, we will fight him.” Well, it surely looks like the Russian fighter wants to get his hands on Pereira. But what do you think? Will he get the title shot this year? Let us know in the comments.