Former Glory light heavyweight champion Artem Vakhitov, in an exclusive interview with Telecomasian.et, assessed Magomed Ankalaev’s defeat in the rematch against Alex Pereira.
Artem Vakhitov exclusively for Telecom Asia Sport
It would be interesting to see a trilogy between Ankalaev and Pereira. But if the third fight doesn’t happen soon, Magomed will likely have to go a long way back to a title shot. He already had a long road to become champion, and we’ve heard the crowd’s reaction to Ankalaev’s entrance. If the trilogy takes place soon, it would be great. They need to seize the moment and make every effort to arrange the third fight. Otherwise, Pereira will have the same path as before, when he was matched with eighth-ranked contenders instead of the top one or two in the light heavyweight division.
On October 5 at UFC 320, Magomed Ankalaev lost to Alex Pereira by first-round technical knockout, losing the light heavyweight title. The Russian fighter’s record now stands at 20 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw, and 1 no contest.
