UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira explained why he does not want to see Russian fighter Magomed Ankalaev as his opponent in a title bout.
MMA Junkie quotes Pereira as saying:
A fight with Ankalaev? Like I said before, it comes down to my choice. I want to make it harder for [Ankalaev] because of all the lies that he said about me. Let's see what's next.
Ankalaev fought his last match against Aleksandar Rakic in October this year at UFC 308. In that bout, which went the full distance, Magomed won by unanimous decision. Ankalaev's record stands at 19 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw, with another fight deemed a no contest.
Pereira's most recent bout was against Khalil Rountree in October this year at UFC 307, which ended in the fourth round due to a technical knockout in favor of Alex. He holds a record of 12 wins and 2 losses.
