LAS VEGAS – Magomed Ankalaev believes he should be up next for a title shot.
The UFC light heavyweight contender is confident he’s done more than Jamahal Hill, who’s considered the No. 1 contender by many, in the race to get a title shot against champion Alex Pereira.
“The math works out,” Ankalaev said at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 234 post-fight press conference. “I’m more deserving of the belt because I have 10 victories, and six of them knockouts. Jamahal Hill has eight fights total in the UFC, so it’s just clear I’m a more deserving contender than Jamahal Hill.”
Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) is unbeaten in his past 12 fights, but Hill is a former champion in the division, who never lost his belt, as he had to vacate it last July after suffering an injury. Hill’s manager recently told MMA Junkie that he’s been promised a title shot. There’s still no official say from the UFC regarding Pereira’s first title defense.
Ankalaev returned to the octagon when he knocked out Johnny Walker (21-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 234.
Ankalaev didn’t use one of his strongest weapons in the fight – wrestling. He wanted to send a message to the division and especially the champion, and said he would be ready to make a quick turnaround for UFC 300 on April 13.
“I could’ve come out today and wrestled Johnny Walker,” Ankalaev said. “I could’ve taken him down right away and won with my ground-and-pound on the ground. Instead, I wanted to send a message. I wanted to stand up and knock him out, and that’s what I did.
“Now, for Glover Teixeira, I have a message: Don’t waste your time and try to teach your student how to wrestle. ‘He’s not going to need it. I’m going to come out there, stand across him and I know that he’s been knocked out before as a middleweight, so imagine what’s going to happen at light heavyweight. Trust me, he’s not going to feel comfortable there.'”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.
