Former UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev echoed Carlos Ulberg’s ‘pretender’ label of Jiri Prochazka after UFC 327.
Carlos Ulberg began a new era in the UFC light heavyweight division with a wild come-from-behind knockout of Jiri Prochazka at UFC 327 earlier this month. After Prochazka injured Ulberg’s leg just minutes into their fight, Ulberg caught Prochazka with a massive punch to win the then-vacant UFC light heavyweight title.
Ulberg has since called out Prochazka’s ‘mercy’ narrative stemming from the former champion’s post-fight comments. The remarks made the rounds online after the fight, and Prochazka recently doubled down on his stance.
As Prochazka looks ahead to his return to the Octagon with a chance to get back into the title mix, he recently called out Magomed Ankalaev and Paulo Costa as potential opponents for his next fight. Ankalaev hasn’t fought since a UFC 320 loss to Alex Pereira and is rumored to be on the upcoming UFC 329 card against a to-be-announced opponent.
Despite the rumors, Ankalaev didn’t take long to notice Prochazka’s callout and didn’t respond kindly.
Magomed Ankalaev calls Jiri Prochazka the ‘easiest fight’ after recent callout
In a recent post to X, Ankalaev answered Prochazka’s callout.
“Jiri Prochazka got knocked out by a man with one leg and now he calls me out, after finding out I already have an opponent,” Ankalaev posted.
“Carlos Ulberg is right, this guy is a pretender. He never wanted to really fight me and he’s the number one easy fight in the light heavyweight division.”
Ulberg is expected to be sidelined six to eight months as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in the Prochazka fight. As of this writing, it’s uncertain if the UFC matchmakers will book an interim title bout during Ulberg’s absence.
In the meantime, tensions are ramping up between Prochazka and Ankalaev, and a matchup between them could be around the corner.
Should the UFC book Magomed Ankalaev vs. Jiri Prochazka next? Let us know what you think in the comments!