Magomed Ankalaev deems his loss to Alex Pereira an accident, open to UFC trilogy fight at heavyweight

Magomed Ankalaev has taken aim at a fighter whom many believe to be his biggest rival, former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. 

Ankalaev has suggested that he'd like to face "Poatan" for the third time inside the octagon and win their series of fights that is tied at one apiece. 

Magomed Ankalaev captured UFC light heavyweight gold from Alex Pereira, but he lost it in their immediate rematch

Magomed Ankalaev made his UFC promotional debut with an unbeaten MMA record in 2018. Unfortunately for him, his maiden octagon outing ended in a last-second submission loss at the hands of Paul Craig. 

Ankalaev then racked up 12 wins in his next 14 octagon appearances. Speaking of the pair of fights he didn't win, one was a split draw against ex-UFC light heavyweight titlist Jan Blachowicz in their fight for the vacant belt in 2022. The other one was an NC (No Contest) in his first encounter against Johnny Walker the following year. 

Regardless, Ankalaev worked his way to a title shot and dethroned then-champion Alex Pereira via unanimous decision to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion in March of 2025. The Dagestani fighter, however, lost the belt via first-round TKO at the hands of Pereira in their immediate rematch that October. 

UFC Abu Dhabi headliner Magomed Ankalaev eyes revenge against Alex Pereira, be it at light heavyweight or heavyweight

Magomed Ankalaev is booked to compete for the very first time since losing the 205-pound belt. The grappling savant was to face Khalil Rountree Jr. in the headlining match of UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25, but Rountree Jr. withdrew due to injury issues. 

The UFC reportedly tried to book Jan Blachowicz -- who was to rematch Bogdan Guskov at UFC Belgrade on August 1 -- to replace the injured Rountree Jr. and face Ankalaev in a rematch in Abu Dhabi. Nevertheless, that didn't materialize, and the UFC ultimately roped in Guskov. 

Currently, Ankalaev is set to take on Guskov in the UFC Abu Dhabi headliner, whereas Blachowicz is booked to fight Navajo Stirling at UFC Belgrade. 

On the other hand, Alex Pereira made his heavyweight divisional debut last month, falling via TKO to Ciryl Gane in a failed attempt to capture the interim UFC heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250. 

Magomed Ankalaev, for his part, has consistently maintained that his feud against Pereira is far from over even though they now compete in separate weight classes. 

Speaking to Red Corner MMA, Ankalaev recently labeled his loss in their rematch as an accident. 

He was asked whether -- considering that he supposedly fought Alex Pereira despite being injured going into the rematch -- he'd want to fight Pereira at all costs now. Ankalaev responded by stating: 

"Yes, that's what I want. And I will be chasing that fight, no matter if it takes place at heavyweight or light heavyweight. Although he moved up, so I'm not just focusing on him, as I have some business to finish at the light heavyweight division." 

The 34-year-old added, "But at the end of the day, as long as he's not retired, I'm sure the UFC would be interested. We are 1-1. I won the first fight, and it's fair to say it was domination. I lost the second one, but it was just an accident. So I think the third fight should be very exciting for the fans. Time will tell." 

Watch Magomed Ankalaev discuss his possible trilogy showdown against Alex Pereira below: 

Magomed Ankalaev says he still wants a trilogy fight with Alex Pereira, believing it remains one of the biggest fights the UFC can make regardless of whether it happens at light heavyweight or heavyweight.

“I want that fight, and I’ll be chasing it,” Ankalaev told Red Corner… pic.twitter.com/M9kWU92Opb

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) July 21, 2026