If Khamzat Chimaev wants to test his Mettle at 205, Magomed Ankalaev is ready to welcome the undefeated Chechnian monster.
Earlier this month, “Borz” offered one of the most dominant performances in UFC history, beating Dricus du Plessis to win the indisputable middleweight world title.
Although Chimaev is not planning to fight again in 2025, there are plenty of candidates for the title lined up in the newly-built 185-pound king, including Reinier de Ridder, Caio Borralho and top-ranked candidate in the division, Nassourdine Imavov.
However, if Chimaev accepts the challenge of current light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev, then all of them could be waiting for him.
“I’m still in this department,” Ankaraev told Sport24ru. “If someone wants to move up and test my weight class, I always say ‘welcome’.
Ankalaev vs. Chimaev will be an undoubtedly interesting battle, but for now, Ankalaev has already filled his hands with his high-stake rematch with Brazilian knockout artist Alex Pereira.
Magmed Ankaraev is ready to calm skeptics in Pereira’s rematch
After beating “Poitan” in March to win light heavyweight gold, the two will run it at UFC 320 in Las Vegas on October 4th. Pereira reportedly went into his first meeting by sports a broken hand and a case of norovirus, indicating his inactiveness against Daguestani.
This time, Ankaraev hopes there will be no excuses when handing Pereira a second straight loss.
“I actually want him to be 100% in this fight so I have no questions about the outcome,” Ankaraev added. “I don’t want to hear the stories from last time about him not being prepared or anything being done. I want him to be in great shape so that he doesn’t make excuses after our fight.”