Ali Abdelaziz is unhappy with his loss to Magomed Ankalaev in their light heavyweight title fight at UFC 307.
Ankalaev is 10-0-1 in his last 12 Octagon appearances, including one no-win, but the Dagestan standout will not be facing current champion Alex Pereira at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 5. Instead, that opportunity will go to Khalil Rountree, who has won five consecutive UFC bouts but recently failed a drug test.
“Some fighters, like Khabib, have a long way to go before they get to the title.
[Nurmagomedov]”Like Kamaru Usman and Islam Makhachev, but once they get there they are dominant,” Abdelaziz recently told ESPN. “Look, UFC has a different view on what they want to do with Alex Pereira. They want him to fight in Utah. Magomed Ankalaev will fight in Abu Dhabi, the market where he fights. Magomed is very happy with his new contract. He deserves a title fight.”
UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. Saturday at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+. Order now!
Ankalaev, who knocked out Johnny Walker in two rounds at UFC Fight Night 234, will face Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26. If he wins that bout, as Abdelaziz predicts, another championship opportunity could come his way. The Dominance MMA founder is confident Pereira will also beat Rountree at UFC 307, setting the stage for a showdown between “Poitan” and Ankalaev sometime next year.
“It’s ridiculous that he won’t get a title fight. ‘He just fought for the title,’ that’s what the UFC says. But the truth is, I believe he’s the best light heavyweight on the planet,” Abdelaziz said. “I know it, you know it, Dana White knows it, Mick Maynard knows it. Alex Pereira has become a big star. You can’t take that away from him. He’s always willing to fight, but every road comes to an end. Magomed Ankalaev has a fight, Alex Pereira has a fight, and these two will fight in 2025.”
