Former Opponent Insists Magomed Ankalaev Deserves Jiří Procházka Title Fight Over Alex Pereira

According to one formerly ranked light heavyweight, Alex Pereira isn’t the most deserving contender when it comes to the next title shot.

Pereira, an ex-UFC middleweight champion, made a successful arrival at 205 pounds last month at UFC 291. In Salt Lake City, Utah, the Brazilian kickboxing specialist withstood the grappling offense of the #4-ranked Jan Błachowicz.

With a split decision win over the Polish fighter, “Poatan” has slotted straight into the light heavyweight top five at #3. And with the title vacant owing to Jamahal Hill’s recent injury, many expect Pereira to challenge for the gold opposite former champ Jiří Procházka in just his second outing in the division.

But according to one man, a contender higher up the ladder is more deserving.

Craig Backs Ankalaev For Title Shot Over Pereira

During a recent interview with The Schmo, longtime light heavyweight-turned-ranked middleweight Paul Craig gave his take on the current landscape at 205 pounds.

Craig, who boasts a submission victory over Magomed Ankalaev, believes the Dagestani contender should be ahead of divisional newcomer Pereira in the pecking order.

“I know he sort of lost his last fight, but you’ve still got Ankalaev. Ankalaev is the guy everybody’s scared of, and I was excited to see Ankalaev versus Procházka,” Craig said. “I’m not saying the middleweight moving up to light heavyweight gets an automatic title shot after beating Jan Błachowicz the way he did. Come on, man, you can’t just jump the queue. There’s people waiting in line. For me, it should be Ankalaev versus Procházka.”

Ankalaev fell short in his first championship opportunity on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage, with his UFC 282 main event against Błachowicz ending in a split draw last December.

While the Russian cried injustice, he isn’t receiving an immediate second chance. He’s set to return at UFC 294 this October, where he’ll meet the entertaining Johnny Walker in Abu Dhabi.

With an impressive display, Ankalaev will no doubt hope to give the UFC something to think about should a matchup between Procházka and Pereira not already be made official.

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• Read Also: Alex Pereira Explains Why He Expects Jiří Procházka Fight To Be Easier Than Jan Błachowicz Win

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