Magomed Ankalaev eyes Carlos Ulberg vs. Dominick Reyes winner over Jiří Procházka or Khalil Rountree Jr. after Alex Pereira fight at UFC 320

Magomed Ankalaev recently shared his thoughts on the Carlos Ulberg vs. Dominick Reyes fight and claimed he'd prefer facing the winner of that clash over Jiri Prochazka or Khalil Rountree Jr. next.

Ankalaev is set to face Alex Pereira in a light heavyweight title rematch at UFC 320 next month. Meanwhile, Ulberg and Reyes are booked to throw down in a pivotal 205-pound bout at UFC Perth this weekend. Intriguingly, Prochazka and Rountree Jr. are scheduled to fight on the card headlined by the Ankalaev-Pereira rematch.

In a recent media scrum (via interpreter), Ankalaev explained wanting to fight the winner of Ulberg vs. Reyes after potentially beating Pereira again:

"To be honest, the fight this week between Reyes and Ulberg is much more interesting to me because [Prochazka and Rountree Jr.] fought for the title multiple times. We've watched them in title fights. But the fight coming up this week is with new guys. I mean, yeah, Reyes fought for the title before, but the other guy [Ulberg], I'm interested in this fight more than the other fight."

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Ankalaev continued:

"Honestly, I don't care. I am the sitting champion, and whoever is next, I will be ready to defend my throne."

Carlos Ulberg picks between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira for his next potential fight

It appears Carlos Ulberg is rooting for Magomed Ankalaev to beat Alex Pereira again in their rematch at UFC 320 next month. The Australian recently picked between Ankalaev and Pereira for his next potential fight if he gets past Dominick Reyes at UFC Perth this weekend.

In their first encounter, Ankalaev beat Pereira via unanimous decision after five rounds of action. If Ulberg beats Reyes with a statement performance this weekend, he could earn himself a light heavyweight title opportunity.

With that in mind, Ulberg recently expressed an interest in facing Ankalaev over Pereira next during an interview with Submission Radio:

"I've always seen Ankalaev as a big threat. So is 'Poatan'. He's got the power. He's got the goods. But yeah, I'm sitting on the fence. I'd like Ankalaev to get that win because I know what I can do with him."

He continued:

"That would be massive, and that's always been a fight that I'd love to do because he's [Pereira] tough. But I mean, from what I've heard, I'm not too sure how. I mean, he's paid his dues, and he's done a great job in the UFC, and I just feel like Ankalaev could be in the game a little longer. I think he's a bit younger, too." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

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