During the UFC Vegas 84 post-fight press conference, Magomed Ankalaev said he wanted to make a statement in his bout with Johnny Walker. He also expressed his belief that he could defeat Alex Pereira at his own game.
“I could have come out here today and wrestled against Johnny Walker,” Ankalaev said via a Russian translator. “I could have taken him down right away and won with my ground-and-pound on the ground, but instead, I wanted to send a message. I wanted to stand up, and I wanted to knock him out, and that’s what I did.
“Now, for Glover Teixeira, I have a message. Don’t waste your time trying to teach your student how to wrestle or grapple, and he’s not going to need it. I’m going to come out there, I’m going to stand across from him, and I know that he’s been knocked out before as a middleweight, so imagine what’s going to happen if I meet him in light heavyweight. Trust me, he’s not going to feel comfortable there.”
Jamahal Hill is the clear number-one contender for Pereira’s championship, but the issue is whether or not “Sweet Dreams” can recover in time to align with the UFC’s schedule. Hill relinquished the UFC light heavyweight title after suffering a ruptured Achilles.
