Magomed Ankalaev Says He Was Urged to Pull Out of Alex Pereira Rematch with Rib Injury
Ankalaev said a third fight would settle the rivalry and could return him to title contention after splitting two bouts with Pereira.
- Former light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev aims to secure a trilogy fight against rival Alex Pereira, facing Bogdan Guskov on Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
- The rivals split their previous two meetings, with Ankalaev winning by decision at UFC 313 before Pereira secured a TKO victory at UFC 320 while Ankalaev fought injured.
- "If it were up to me, I'd love for him to come back to his division so we can have our rubber match," Ankalaev said, remaining open to either weight class.
- Pereira recently suffered a TKO loss at heavyweight last month; despite this setback, the Brazilian plans to remain in the heavyweight division, complicating a potential trilogy.
- A victory this weekend would re-enter Ankalaev into the light heavyweight title picture, currently held by the injured Carlos Ulberg.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Magomed Ankalaev Badly Wants Alex Pereira UFC Trilogy Fight
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev says that he badly wants to fight rival Alex Pereira in a trilogy bout.Ankalaev has fought Pereira twice, winning a decision over him at UFC 313 to win the UFC light heavyweight belt before losing by TKO at UFC 320 to lose his title.Magomed Ankalaev Wants Alex Pereira […] The post Magomed Ankalaev Badly Wants Alex Pereira UFC Trilogy Fight appeared first on HEAVY.
UFC Abu Dhabi: Ankalaev vs. Guskov picks and predictions
UFC Abu Dhabi: Ankalaev vs. Guskov picks and predictions See who we think will win this weekend at the Etihad Arena. Tim Edwards Jul 24, 2026 ∙ Paid Share The UFC is back in the Gulf this week, scooping up a fat site fee from some of their favourite patrons. This card is designed to appease the paymasters with lots of fighters from this neck of the woods (and many of them as the favourites). The main event is Magomed…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 100% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
