Magomed Ankalaev responds to “liar” Alex Pereira for evading accusations

Just three weeks after Alex Pereira defended his UFC light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree at UFC 307, Magomed Ankalaev takes on Aleksandar Rakic. And he’s not happy that Pereira claims he turned down a chance at gold.

Pereira recently posted a video on his YouTube channel claiming he expected to face Ankalaev next, but the Russian “didn’t want to fight me.” It didn’t take long for Ankalaev to take to social media to deny the claims, saying he was never given the opportunity.

“@AlexPereiraUFC you’re a liar. You said I aimed fire at you, @DanaWhite, @MickMaynard2 never offer me a fight against you. I’ll make you swallow your word after I finish my business.”

The headline fight at UFC 307 on October 5 in Salt Lake City is Pereira vs. Rountree, while Ankalaev will face Rakic ​​on October 26 at UFC 208 in Abu Dhabi.

In his video, Pereira claimed he “always wanted to fight Ankalaev” after defending his 205-pound belt at UFC 300 by knockout of Jiri Prochazka, but said the former title challenger “made it difficult” for him.

“I don’t know the reason, if it was the place or if he didn’t want to fight,” Pereira said of Ankalaev. “He’s not the champion, he can’t choose anything. It’s the opportunity that comes along and he didn’t want it. He has his reasons, I don’t know what it is. But I came here to tell you that I’m not afraid of anyone. Everyone knows my story and everything I’ve done, not only in MMA but also in kickboxing. It’s obvious that I want to fight this guy.”