Magomed Ankalaev took to X and called on Dana White and the UFC to give him a shot at Alex Pereira, the reigning 205-pound champ. In fact, so confident is the Dagestani of beating ‘Poatan’ that he vowed to knockout the Brazilian on the feet, just as Israel Adesanya had done only last year. ‘Poatan’ and ‘Izzy’ met for the second time in the UFC octagon at UFC 287 last year. Having defeated Adesanya in their UFC 281 clash, things were going well for the Brazilian.

Until the Kiwi caught Pereira with a massive right hand in the second round to knock him unconscious. And Ankalaev is determined to do the same to the reigning light heavyweight champ. In addition, he echoed widespread fan sentiment and took a shot at the BJJ black belt that ‘Poatan’ earned earlier this year.

“@AlexPereiraUFC is black belt nobody in the world believe he can beat me even the @ufc I think you my toughest fight, but I believe I will knock you out standing if Izzy did it did it I can also @danawhite @Mickmaynard2 please give me opportunity. I will knock this guy out,” he tweeted.

On the other hand, Jiri Prochazka, after losing to Alex Pereira twice, has floated three names for his next opponent: former champions Jamahal Hill and Jan Blachowicz, and Magomed Ankalaev. But Ankalaev has surprisingly dismissed ‘The Czech Samurai’s callout, advising him to “Go to Middleweight [because you’re] you too small” in another tweet. It seems Ankalaev is determined to become champ, and as such, has his sights firmly set on ‘Poatan’ at the moment. And who can blame him, given the heartbreak he suffered in his last title shot?

Ankalaev had fought Jan Blachowicz for the vacant 205-pound throne at their UFC 282 clash in 2022. After five rounds of constant back-and-forth, the contest was declared a draw by the judges, but even Blachowicz would acknowledge that the Dagestani deserved the belt. However, Ankalaev is not the only one determined to become champion, as Prochazka has reiterated his desire to face Pereira once again in the near future.

Prochazka still believes he has ‘what it takes’ to beat ‘Poatan’

Jiri Prochazka has lost twice to Alex Pereira, both times via a second-round knockout. While his latest UFC 303 loss came courtesy of a devastating head kick, he fell victim to ‘Poatan’s legendary left the first time around at UFC 295 last November. However, the Czech former champ is still confident he can beat the Brazilian.

“I know I can beat Pereira. I feel I have what it takes and I just need to unlock the right things to really win,” Prochazka said in a recent interview with Televizninoviny. This comes days after Prochazka had made the surprising claim that he either needs to ‘evolve’ to the next level or quit fighting altogether.

“Only one thing goes on my mind, that I need to evolve to the next level or don’t fight again. So simple. To be the strongest, this is the way,” Prochazka had said after his second loss to Pereira. And it seems the 31-year-old has made up his mind about which of those choices he wants to make.

At the moment, however, he needs to work his way back to the top and defeat a few more top-five contenders to get back to the top of the title ladder. For the time being, Ankalaev looks like the best bet for Pereira’s next opponent since the Brazilian champ has defeated the other three guys at the top of the 205-pound rankings.

Who do you think ‘Poatan’ should fight next? Let us know your pick in the comments below.