Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Jon Anik Believes Winner of Carlos Ulberg vs. Jan Blachowicz Should Be Next for Magomed Ankalaev!

Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

UFC 313’s main event featured Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev with the belt on the line. In what was a huge upset, Pereira (who was considered the favorite) lost against Ankalaev and the Russian is the newly crowned light heavyweight champion. Pereira did not look like his usual self and was kept on the tip of his toes the entire fight.

Ankalaev, on the other hand, was the underdog coming into the fight but proved that he was much more hungrier and prepared than the Brazilian was. When Ankalaev claimed that he could stand and fight against Pereira, nobody believed in him but that is exactly what he did. He even rocked Poatan and nearly finished him off but the bell saved Pereira and his legacy.

Also Read: UFC Light Heavyweight Rankings – Aftermath Of UFC 313 As Magomed Ankalaev Shuts Down Alex Pereira’s Striking To Win The UFC Light Heavyweight Title!

Alex Pereira on his loss to Magomed Ankalaev:

"Putting me up against the cage, he didn't really do anything"

"Giving him the win with a gameplan like that, it incentivizes people to do that"#UFC313 pic.twitter.com/Vg8UjZBg3A
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 9, 2025

Now that Ankalaev is the champion, who will he take on next? Will it be a rematch against Pereira? When Dana White was asked about the possibility of a rematch, he simply said “Probably.” We cannot truly tell who Ankalaev may take on next but Jon Anik (UFC’s commentator) already has an idea. Let’s see what he has to suggest.

Jon Anik believes that the winner between Carlos Ulberg vs Jan Blachowicz should be next

Jon Anik mentioned that he doesn’t believe that Dana White and the UFC are going to make a rematch between Ankalaev and Pereira happen. Anik started off by giving his take on who may Pereira fight next and said “You have a big fight coming up. Carlos Ulberg and Jan Blachowicz but Bogdan Guskov is the man but not a lot of people are screaming from the rooftops to see him fight for the championship.”

Then he talked about who the newly crowned lightweight heavyweight champion should fight next.

“I’m looking at Carlos Ulberg and Jan Blachowicz and I do think Jan Blachowicz is the untalked about guy in this equation. He won the first three rounds going against Magomed Ankalaev when they went 25 minutes back in 2022. So I think we wait till March 22nd sort of expires and transpires but there is not an obvious number one,” Anik added.

Jan Blachowicz and Carlos Ulberg will be fighting at UFC Fight Night 254 on March 22nd, 2025.

You have to give credit where credit is due and Ankalaev proved that he was a step ahead of Pereira at UFC 313. Whereas for Pereira, now that he’s lost the light heavyweight belt, what’s next for him? Will he move up to heavyweight and start fighting there or will Ankalaev move down to middleweight and potentially fight Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight championship? We’ll have to wait and watch.

Also Read: Jiri Prochazka Calls For A Title Shot With The New Champ Magomed Ankalaev; Ready For Trilogy Fight As Well!

Jon Anik

UFC

Eric Divakaran

nba

nfl

mma

I cover the National Football League and things cannot get better than that. I always dreamed to play football or basketball professionally since I’m built like a Running Back. But now that I can’t, since I’m technically in the “Unc” age, I thought why not pick a career in sports industry? So here I am, doing what I love, and hoping that the Commanders win the Super Bowl. I give love to players when it’s due, but can be critical about their performances at the same time. Enough about me, now let my articles do all the talking.