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Magomed Ankalaev wants to join Alex Pereira at heavyweight as he says ‘nobody’ at 205 will fight him

Magomed Ankalaev is losing patience with the light heavyweight top five. The former UFC champion at 205 pounds bounced back from the brutal end to…

By Harvey Leonard · Bloodyelbow

Published: Monday, 9 November 2026 at 4:59 PM

Key Things to Know

Magomed Ankalaev is targeting a move to heavyweight, claiming no top-five light heavyweight is willing to fight him.
Ankalaev claimed Khalil Rountree Jr., Dominick Reyes, and Paulo Costa all have reasons preventing a light heavyweight matchup.
The Russian fighter proposed making his heavyweight debut in January to avoid a prolonged layoff.

The Story in 60 Seconds

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev has expressed an interest in moving up to the heavyweight division. Ankalaev stated on social media that nobody in the light heavyweight top five wants to face him, leaving him open to taking a heavyweight fight as early as January to avoid a long layoff.

Ankalaev bounced back from losing his title to Alex Pereira by knocking out Bogdan Guskov in July. With top contenders Dominick Reyes, Paulo Costa, and Khalil Rountree Jr. currently unavailable or unwilling to fight, Ankalaev is considering following Pereira up to heavyweight, where a potential trilogy bout could take place.

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Magomed Ankalaev wants to join Alex Pereira at heavyweight as he says ‘nobody’ at 205 will fight him

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