{"id":26402,"date":"2024-12-19T12:17:30","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T12:17:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/?p=26402"},"modified":"2024-12-19T12:17:30","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T12:17:30","slug":"alex-pereira-confirms-magomed-ankalaev-will-not-be-next-title-defence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/uk\/news\/alex-pereira-confirms-magomed-ankalaev-will-not-be-next-title-defence\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira Confirms Magomed Ankalaev WILL NOT Be His Next Title Defence"},"content":{"rendered":"

MMA superstar Alex Pereira has taken to social media and confirmed that he WILL NOT fight Magomed Ankalaev in his next UFC Light-Heavyweight Title defence. This begs the question, who will ‘Poatan’ face first in 2025?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alex Pereira Confirms He WON’T Defend UFC Light-Heavyweight Title Against Magomed Ankalaev Next<\/h2>\n

Speculation has been rife that Alex Pereira’s next fight<\/a> would most definitely be against Magomed Ankalaev. However, ‘Poatan’ himself has now revealed on social media that he will not fight the #1 light-heavyweight contender in his next 205-pound title defence.<\/p>\n

The Russian will inevitably get a title shot in 2025 barring disaster, but Pereira doesn’t seem keen to fight the #1 contender next. Not that he is ducking him by any stretch, but the Brazilian seems adamant that Magomed Ankalaev won’t be his next fight.<\/p>\n

It is likely we see Pereira return in the first four months of the year, but it seems UFC President Dana White<\/a> will have to find an alternative opponent for the 37-year-old instead.<\/p>\n

If we take the reigning champion at 205-pouds at his word, then it seems there will be a completely different contender standing in his way in his first title defence of 2025 in the UFC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Who that could be remains to be seen, but Ankalaev himself still remains confident of getting his shot at Alex Pereira<\/a> and the UFC Light-Heavyweight Title before the summer:<\/p>\n

“Pereira has not yet agreed to the fight. But sooner or later it will happen, I think the fight can take place in May,” Ankalaev revealed in a recent Q&A session.<\/p>\n

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Chicken\ud83d\udc14\ud83d\udc14\ud83d\udc14<\/p>\n

— Muhammad big ANK Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) December 19, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n