After UFC 313 upset that Magomed Ankalaev pulled off against Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira, he is quite simply bored. Poatan is off to various countries across the world for training and sightseeing purposes, and one of the lightweight contenders, Jiri Prochazka, has put MMA aside and enrolled at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, earning his Security and Strategic Studies degree. With the two contenders content with what they are doing, Ankalaev does not have a lot of fighters lined up to face him for the title. So the Russian has been very vocal on X and has been mocking the two contenders for not taking the title fight.
Pereira declined a short-notice rematch and has talked about how he’s taking more time this time to heal properly and recover from any injuries he’s sustained so far. And with Prochazka prioritizing studies over fighting, Ankalaev’s frustration is palpable. He previously labeled Prochazka a “fraud” and “fake ninja” questioning his samurai-inspired persona and fighting credentials. Prochazka, however, has been unfazed by all the comments and emphasized Ankalaev’s shift from friendly encounters at the UFC Performance institute to online bravado.
UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev has reignited his feud with Jiri Prochazka, taking a swipe at the Czech fighter’s academic pursuits. Ankalaev mocked Prochazka’s focus on being close to finishing his university examinations, calling him a “nerd” in a post, only escalating their ongoing verbal sparring session. Despite never facing each other inside the octagon, the tensions are clearly rising slow and steady between the two, and if Ankalaev is trying to land himself a title defense fight, we believe that he’s pushing all the buttons to make sure it happens.
The UFC will now soon face a scheduling conundrum as Pereira plans to come back around August for the title fight, and Jiri Prochazka will also be returning soon after completing his studies. Meanwhile, the champ has been bored to death so far and is ready to fight any of the two fighters, if they plan to do so. While we haven’t seen the top guys in the lightweight division compete in a while, something special is brewing behind the scenes and we are sure that a title fight for Ankalaev is coming soon.
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