Magomed Ankalaev shares one-word reaction to Alex Pereira's surprising update on his next fight

A portion of the MMA community is in an uproar after Alex Pereira announced on X that his next potential opponent would not be the number one light heavyweight contender, Magomed Ankalaev.

On Dec. 19, Pereira posted on X, implying that his next fight will not come against the consensus top contender at 205 pounds:

"It won’t be Ankalaev! 😭"

The 32-year-old Russian responded to 'Poatan's' post and took a jab at him, writing:

"Chicken🐔🐔🐔"

Pereira was accused of ducking a fight with Ankalaev before his title defense against Khalil Rountree, which he won via TKO in round four. 'Poatan' previously blamed the UFC passively for not making the fight happen.

Meanwhile, Jon Jones teased a fight with the Brazilian light heavyweight champion. However, UFC CEO Dana White recently stated that the UFC is setting up a fight between 'Bones' and Tom Aspinall.

Ankalaev on the other hand, with a record of 20-1-1, has wins over Aleksandar Rakic and Johnny Walker in his last two bouts. With a strong ground game, many believe the 32-year-old Russian can dethrone 'Poatan'.

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Magomed Ankalaev confirmed his fight with Alex Pereira

Last month, Magomed Ankalaev posted on his X that his next fight would be a title fight against Alex Pereira, claiming that had been confirmed by White.

Ankalaev wrote:

"@danawhite told my team I’m next for Alex thank you for clearing this today"

With 'Poatan's' recent post, it may be plausible that he is building up a fight and playing with the MMA community but will face Ankalaev next.

An update on his upcoming bout and Ankalaev's will likely be announced shortly.

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