Ex-UFC Champion Magomed Ankalaev Calls Out Top Name for UFC Return Fight

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Magomed Ankalaev seems to have the perfect opponent in mind for his return fight.

Currently sitting at #1 in the official UFC light heavyweight rankings, Ankalaev’s brief reign with the belt came to an end last October when he was stopped by Alex Pereira in an immediate rematch of their first meeting at UFC 313.

The 33-year-old understandably took some time off after Pereira stopped him with strikes just 80 seconds into their headlining bout at UFC 320, but recently Ankalaev has started teasing fans regarding plans for his return to the cage.

Magomed Ankalaev Calls Out Ex-UFC Title Challenger Khalil Rountree Jr.

Taking to social media this week, Ankalaev called out former UFC title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. and promised that the two could forgo grappling in order to simply stand and trade strikes in a potential fight.

Khalil my man I see you training a lot of wrestling with Khamzat but in reality you don’t need it, all I would love to do with you is 25 mins of very high level striking master class if you can last this long
— Muhammad big ANK Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) April 21, 2026

"Khalil my man I see you training a lot of wrestling with Khamzat but in reality you don’t need it, all I would love to do with you is 25 mins of very high level striking master class if you can last this long"

Outside of his last fight with Pereira, Ankalaev has only experienced one other loss in his entire MMA career. The former champion famously lost his UFC debut against Paul Craig via last-second triangle choke in 2018 before rebounding with a nine-fight win streak that earned him his first crack at UFC gold.

Alex Pereira (red gloves) fights Magomed Ankalaev (blue gloves) during UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Ankalaev and the division’s former titleholder Jan Błachowicz ended up fighting to a draw in their title bout at UFC 282. The following month, Jamahal Hill claimed the still-vacant light heavyweight belt by taking a unanimous decision over Glover Teixeira at UFC 283.

UFC Light Heavyweight Division In Limbo After Carlos Ulberg Surgery

Following Pereira’s decision to vacate the light heavyweight belt ahead of his interim heavyweight title fight at “UFC Freedom 250”, the UFC booked a matchup between Jiří Procházka and Carlos Ulberg to crown a new champion at UFC 327.

Carlos Ulberg (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Jiri Prochazka (red gloves) during UFC 327 at Kaseya Center. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Ulberg will be sidelined for an extended period after winning the belt via first-round knockout, as “Black Jag” had to overcome a knee injury that required surgery to address. That leaves the division in an interesting spot, and a matchup between Ankalaev and Rountree could help clear things up and decide who might challenge Ulberg upon his return.

Alex Pereira (red gloves) reacts after defeating Khalil Rountree Jr. (blue gloves) in a light heavyweight title bout during UFC 307 at Delta Center. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

“War Horse” took a five-fight win streak into a light heavyweight title bid against Pereira at UFC 307 but was stopped in the fourth round. Rountree rebounded with a unanimous decision against Hill before falling to Procházka at UFC 320, and the 36-year-old currently occupies the #5 spot in the official UFC light heavyweight rankings.

Add us as a preferred source on Google