Magomed Ankalaev lords over the UFC light heavyweight division, and while his next challenger is locked in, he does have a clear interest in a pair of upcoming high-stakes clashes at 205 pounds. Ankalaev will defend his belt against the man he claimed it from, Alex Pereira, in the headliner of UFC 320 on October 4th.
While the Russian titleholder is focused on the task at hand in the coming days, Ankalaev is aware of the broader landscape and what could lie next if he gets his ideal outcome against ‘Poatan’. Dominick Reyes and Carlos Ulberg clash this weekend in the UFC Perth main event, while a UFC 320 clash between Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree meaningfully informs the title challenger queue at light heavyweight as well.
Speaking to on-site media through the assistance of an interpreter about which of the victors between those two bouts could be in the best standing to get a crack at the crown, Ankalaev said [via MMA Junkie],
“To be honest, the fight this week between [Dominick] Reyes and [Carlos] Ulberg is much more interesting to me because [Prochazka and Rountree] fought for the title multiple times – we’ve watched them in title fights But the fight coming up this week is new guys. I mean, yeah, Reyes fought for the title before, but the other guy, [Ulberg] – I’m interested in this fight more than the other fight.”
Magomed Ankalaev is ready for “whoever is next” post-UFC 320
Magomed Ankalaev is ultimately focused on the task at hand in the next pay-per-view offering for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, though. Ankalaev stated [via MMA Junkie],
“Honestly, I don’t care. I am the sitting champion, and whoever is next, I will be ready to defend my throne.”
If Ankalaev moves beyond this sequel clash with Pereira, any permutation of possible victors from those referenced light heavyweight matchups will ultimately be fresh fights for the man some call Big Ank. Khalil Rountree, Jiri Prochazka, Carlos Ulberg, and Dominick Reyes have never shared a cage with Ankalaev as of this writing.