Light heavyweight title challenger Magomed Ankalaev is aware that he’s not among the UFC’s favorite fighters. But at the very least, he expects to gain the “appreciation” of the higher-ups with his performance this weekend at UFC 313.
Ankalaev is finally getting his second shot at the title, and first opportunity at handing champion Alex Pereira his opening defeat at 205 pounds.
While Jamahal Hill, Jiří Procházka, and Khalil Rountree Jr. all failed in that quest last year, Ankalaev has been widely branded the biggest threat to “Poatan’s” reign owing to his wrestling prowess.
But the Russian’s style has previously been under fire for a perceived lack of entertainment, something that has seemingly put the top contender out of favor with the UFC brass.
During a recent media scrum ahead of UFC 313, Ankalaev acknowledged as much but outlined his plan to rectify that with an emphatic display inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on March 8.
“I don’t know if they (UFC) appreciate me yet,” he said. “But after this fight, they will make sure to appreciate me.” (h/t TheMacLifePlus)
The Dagestani’s first chance at top spot in the division came back in December 2022, when he and former champ Jan Blachowicz fought to a split draw.
He enters his next opportunity off the back of victories over Johnny Walker and Aleksandar Rakić.
