Magomed Ankalaev names preferred opponent for his next fight after potentially beating Alex Pereira at UFC 320

Magomed Ankalaev knows who he'd like to face if he gets past Alex Pereira for the second time at UFC 320 this weekend. The reigning light heavyweight champion recently named Carlos Ulberg as his preferred opponent after potentially beating Pereira and explained why.

Ulberg beat Dominick Reyes via a dominant first-round knockout at UFC Perth last weekend and positioned himself for a possible title opportunity. Ulberg's performance appears to have impressed Ankalaev, who was glad that the 205-pound division had a new title challenger.

In an interview with the media, Ankalaev explained why Ulberg was an "interesting" guy and said:

When it comes down to Carlos Ulberg, obviously, he's a very interesting guy. He's on a winning streak. I saw the victory, I saw the highlight of the win. He hasn't been in the place where these guys have been. These guys have been knocked down by the former champ. [Ulberg] is a new guy; he hasn't tested these waters that they're in right now, so I think that's definitely someone I'm interested in."

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When asked about the Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. fight that also takes place on the UFC 320 card, Ankalaev said:

"The fight that's going to happen on the same card I'm fighting because, especially because it's on the main card, this is not something I'm going to pay attention to, at all. I won't even have time to look at it, so I'm not really interested in this fight whatsoever." [H/t: MMA Junkie]

Watch the full interview below:

Magomed Ankalaev issues ice-cold prediction of upcoming Alex Pereira rematch

Magomed Ankalaev recently shared a preview of his upcoming Alex Pereira rematch and vowed to deliver the Brazilian's fourth career knockout loss. Ankalaev also slammed Pereira for engaging in trash-talk ahead of their rematch.

In an X post, Ankalaev issued a chilling warning to Pereira and slammed the Brazilian for accusing him of "hiding" from him. He wrote:

"This clown, [whom] I’m fighting, said I’m hiding from him, I’m giving him a rematch, and he should be very grateful. I whooped him for 5 rounds, and I did everything I wanted to him during the fight. Let’s focus on fighting and not trash-talking."

He continued:

"This guy has been knocked out 3 times in his career, I never been knocked down. This time, I will give him his 4th knockout, end of the story."

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