Magomed Ankalaev backed to defeat Alex Pereira by the only man to defeat the Russian in MMA
Alex Pereira is rumored to be defending his light heavyweight crown against perennial contender Magomed Ankalaev next. Should the matchup be confirmed by the UFC, the only man to defeat Ankalaev in MMA has shared his prediction for the potential title fight.
Paul Craig, who is scheduled to take on touted middleweight prospect Bo Nickal at UFC 309 on Nov. 16, was recently interviewed by talkSPORT MMA. The Scotsman previously competed at light heavyweight until 2023, and when he faced Ankalaev in 2018, he secured a submission win with one second left in the final round.
It was an incredible moment, after being dominated for much of the fight, as 'Bearjew' snapped on a tight triangle that forced the Russian to tap.
On being asked to predict how a Pereira vs. Ankalaev fight would unfold, he responded by saying:
"I'm gonna bet on Ankalaev to get that victory. I just believe he's got more tools, I just believe he's hungrier, he's younger. He's got all the things to make a champion, and right now in every single division you're looking at atleast one Russian or one Dagestani guy cleaning up the rankings."
Catch Paul Craig predict Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev below (8:20):
Dana White shuts down Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira
Jon Jones is set to defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on Nov. 16. With Tom Aspinall, the interim heavyweight champion, waiting in the wings to face the winner of Jones vs. Stipe, surprise rushed over the combat sports world when 'Bones' said he wouldn't be facing Aspinall at all.
Instead, Jones identified a super fight with 205-pound champion Alex Pereira as the fight he would like to have following UFC 309. The 37-year-old also threatened to retire should he not get the matchup against Pereira.
But Magomed Ankalaev's recent post about facing 'Poatan' next, as well as UFC CEO Dana White's recent comments, have left the heavyweight champion with few options for his next fight.
White was recently interviewed by Jim Rome, where he said:
"If he doesn't decide to retire [after UFC 309], he absolutely positively fights Aspinall [next]."
Check out Dana White shut down Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira below: