Magomed Ankalaev is likely now first in line for the UFC light heavyweight title after knocking out Johnny Walker at last night's UFC Vegas 84 event. The second-round finish was followed by a callout of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira.
The first round was closely contested and featured an accidental low blow from Ankalaev to Walker. Both men pursued leg kicks throughout the fight, and their legs were starting to show damage midway through the second round. Then. out of nowhere, Ankalaev caught Walker with a right hand that sat him down hard against the fence. Ankalaev closed the distance with a right uppercut that landed clean on Walker's nose, causing referee Marc Goddard to stop the fight.
After the fight, Ankalaev communicated through a translator that he was ready for a title fight with Alex Pereira and wanted it immediately. His callout was acknowledged on X/Twitter by former champion Glover Teixeira, who seemed to confirm a future fight between Ankalaev and Pereira.
Ankalaev responded to the tweet and reaffirmed his readiness for a title fight. If the UFC moves fast, they could pencil Pereira-Ankalaev in for the co-main or main event of UFC 300. The upcoming UFC 300 event has been the talk of 2024, with fans expecting a stacked line up to celebrate the 300th UFC pay-per-view. Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan are already competing for the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship, but fans can expect at least one more title fight to be added to the card.
UFC 300's date of April 13th would be a somewhat quick turnaround for Ankalaev. It's exactly 90 days from today, which is around the shortest turnaround the UFC will generally allow. With former champion Jamahal Hill not returning until at least the summer, it may be wise for Ankalaev to wait for UFC 301 or 302, which would give him time to recover and prepare before the hardest striking test of his career.
Interestingly, Ankalaev promised post-fight to keep things on the feet against Pereira, one of the most lethal strikers in UFC and combat sports history. Ankalaev has historically had some trouble defending leg kicks, and Pereira has some of the best leg kicks in the entire sport. Pereira's calf kicks are impossible to detect and absolutely debilitating upon contact, and he also has unbelievable power in his hands. Ankalaev claimed post-fight that he could have wrestled against Walker but wanted to send a message to Pereira that his striking was capable of winning him a championship. It will remain to be seen if Ankalaev can do so in what is now a presumed title fight.
Ankalaev, who hasn't lost since 2018, fought Walker in October of last year, with the fight ending by controversial no-contest following an illegal Ankalaev knee. Ankalaev previously fought Jan Blachowicz for the vacant title in December 2022, with the fight ending in a draw and neither man becoming champion. Those two fights are Ankalaev's only blemishes since his only career loss in 2018, and he's now avenged one of them. He'll come into a potential Pereira fight with plenty of experience and an extensive resume.
UFC fans will now turn their full attention towards Saturday's UFC 297 in Toronto. The event will see the UFC Middleweight and Women's Bantamweight championships up for grabs. Sean Strickland will attempt his first defense against Dricus du Plessis, while Mayra Bueno Silva and Raquel Pennington clash for the title vacated by the retiring Amanda Nunes.
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