If Khamzat Chimaev wants to test his mettle at 205, Magomed Ankalaev is more than ready to welcome the undefeated Chechen monster.
Earlier this month, ‘Borz’ delivered one of the most dominant performances in UFC history, handily defeating Dricus Du Plessis to capture the undisputed middleweight world title.
While there are no plans for Chimaev to fight again in 2025, there are plenty of title contenders lining up for their shot at the newly minted 185-pound king, including Reinier de Ridder, Caio Borralho, and the division’s top-ranked contender, Nassourdine Imavov.
However, all of them could be waiting, should Chimaev accept the challenge of the current light heavyweight champion, Magomed Ankalaev.
“I’m still in this division,” Ankalaev told Sport24Ru. “If someone wants to move up and test my weight class, I always say ‘Welcome’. If [Chimaev] moves up, he moves up. No problem.”
Ankalaev vs. Chimaev would be an undeniably interesting fight, but for now, Ankalaev already has his hands full with a high-stakes rematch against Brazilian knockout artist Alex Pereira.
Magomed Ankalaev ready to quiet the skeptics in Pereira rematch
After defeating ‘Poatan’ in March to claim light heavyweight gold, the two will run it back on October 4 at UFC 320 in Las Vegas. Pereira reportedly went into their first meeting sporting a broken hand and a case of norovirus, resulting in his lackluster showing against the Dagestani.
This time around, Ankalaev wants there to be no excuses when he hands Pereira a second straight loss.
“I actually want him to come into this fight 100% so there are no questions about the outcome,” Ankalaev added. “I don’t want to hear talk like last time about him not being ready or something not being done. I want him to be in great shape so that after our fight he has no excuses.”
