Magomed Ankalaev already has a plan in place should he beat Bogdan Guskov in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi , this Saturday (25). With an eye on an opportunity to fight for the light heavyweight belt (up to 93 kg), the Russian believes that the injury to champion Carlos Ulberg could open the way for a decisive fight soon.
If the New Zealander is indeed sidelined for a period of time, Ankalaev stated in an interview with 'MMA Junkie' that he intends to face an opponent in the top 5 of the division to remain in contention for the title.
“What comes next for me is that we have a champion ( Carlos Ulberg ) who will probably take a while to come back because he’s injured. So, for me, I would be interested in finding someone who is perhaps in the top 5. I hope that if the UFC offers someone in the top 5, that could be good,” said Ankalaev.
According to Ankalaev, Carlos Ulberg 's injury could alter the division's landscape. The New Zealander tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) , but even injured, he knocked out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 327 in April, a result that secured him the light heavyweight title.
Given the lack of a timeline for Ulberg's return, Ankalaev emerges as one of the leading candidates to challenge for an interim title in the division. This possibility has even been publicly mentioned by Dana White, president of the UFC.
Borrachinha and Whittaker are on Ankalaev's radar.
P. Borrachinha (left) and R. Whittaker (right) moved up a weight class in the UFC. Photo: SUPER LUTAS montage
Still planning his next steps, Ankalaev also expressed interest in facing big names who might move up to the light heavyweight division, such as Paulo Borrachinha and former middleweight champion (up to 83,9 kg) Robert Whittaker . According to the Russian, a fight against either of them would be attractive, but he reinforced that his main objective remains to compete for the belt. Furthermore, he stated that, should he win the title, he is willing to defend it against all the top contenders in the division.
“Or maybe some of the new guys coming into the division, who have bigger names, like Paulo (Borrachinha) or Whitaker, a former champion. So, it would be fun just to get into a fight with one of them. But beyond that, the goal is to fight for the title and if we need to clean up the division again, then we will do it,” concluded the Russian.
The names mentioned by Magomed Ankalaev reflect a recent and successful migration of athletes from the middleweight division to the light heavyweight division . Paulo Borrachinha debuted in the category with a resounding knockout over Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327, while Robert Whittaker debuted at 93 kg with a dominant performance against Nikita Krylov at UFC 329 , held on July 11.
In Borrachinha's case, there's already an established rivalry between the two. The Brazilian refused the opportunity to replace the injured Khalil Rountree Jr. in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi due to the short preparation time. In response, Ankalaev mocked his rival's decision but stated that he agreed that a potential fight would make more sense with an adequate training period . The Russian, in this sense, pointed to the end of October or the beginning of November as the ideal window for the duel, provided he overcomes Bogdan Guskov without major difficulties this Saturday.
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