UFC Vegas 84: Magomed Ankalaev demands Dana White for title shot vs Alex Pereira after brutal KO win

Former light heavyweight title challenger Magomed Ankalaev had an unfortunate No Contest against Johnny Walker at UFC 294. Ankalaev, who fought Jan Blachowicz to a split draw at UFC 282, has been unbeaten ever since he lost his UFC debut to Paul Craig via triangle choke submission.

After the unfortunate circumstances at UFC 294, the UFC rescheduled the fight but this time as a main event for UFC Vegas 84. The Fight Night event also had over-40 UFC veteran Jim Miller in the co-main event Gabriel Benitez.

Magomed Ankalaev defeats Johnny Walker

Number 3 ranked UFC light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev extended his unbeaten record in the division to 12 with a second-round TKO victory over 7th-ranked Johnny Walker. After a first round that saw Walker showcase his trademark unconventional attacks, Ankalaev looked like a man on a mission in round 2 and got the finish early in the round.

Ankalaev, a formidable light heavyweight from Dagestan, with close ties to Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov, has problems in the first round against Walker. With a plethora of spinning attacks, Ankalaev was on the back foot with Walker pressurizing forward. Both fighters traded brutal leg kicks in the first round as they missed a lot of their punches.

In the second round, it was Ankalaev who pushed Walker back and he dropped Walker as going for a leg kick. Ankalaev checked the kick and dropped Walker with a right hook. Referee Marc Goddard immediately stepped in after Ankalaev landed a follow-up uppercut with Walker on the ground. Walker immediately covered his face with his left hand as there was a potential nose break.

Former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill was cageside for the event. Jamahal, who had to vacate the title due to an Achilles injury, got the opportunity to claim the title after the fight between Blachowicz and Ankalaev ended in a draw. Alex Pereira is the present champion of the division as he claimed it with a second-round TKO of Jiri Prochazka at the UFC 295 headliner in Madison Square Garden.

Magomed Ankalaev demands title shot

Magomed Ankalaev made his intentions clear after the victory over Walker at UFC Vegas 84 as he called for a title shot. “The most important thing is I’m ready to fight for the title,” said Ankalaev in his octagon interview with Michael Bisping.

“I have 10 victories in a row. It’s been a long time. I’m worth it. Give me that fight for the title now.”, Ankalaev further stated his case for the next title shot. It needs to be noted that Dana White had earlier stated that Jamahal Hill is next for the champion Alex Pereira.

However, with Hill still recovering from injury and Alex Pereira willing to defend the title at UFC 300, Ankalaev does have a shot at the title next. Dana White recently announced Yan Xioanan vs Zhang Weili for UFC 300 and it did not satisfy the fan’s expectations. A blockbuster light heavyweight title fight between Ankalaev and Pereira has the potential to satisfy the fans.

Magomed Ankalaev’s first opportunity to become the champion ended in a split draw against Jan Blachowicz but 23 of 25 media outlets scored the fight for Ankalaev. Since the loss, Ankalaev was hell-bent on finishing fights as quickly as possible and leaving judges out of the equation and he did just that at UFC Vegas 84.

Do you think Magomed Ankalaev will get the next title shot at light heavyweight? Leave your prediction below!