Magomed Ankalaev believes the UFC’s light heavyweight division could soon feature an all-Russian title fight — and he already has a name in mind for a potential future challenger.
Ahead of his first title defense against Alex Pereira at UFC 320 in Las Vegas, Ankalaev spoke to Daniel Cormier about the next wave of contenders at 205 pounds. Among them, he singled out Azamat Murzakanov, an undefeated 15-0 contender, as a dangerous but overlooked opponent.
“You know, there’s been a little bit of a mess in the light heavyweight division for a while,” Ankalaev said via a translator. “It’s been the same guys fighting for the same belt. People are forgetting about all these new names — Carlos Ulberg, Khalil Rountree, and Murzakanov, right? Murzakanov is on an eight-fight winning streak and nobody mentions his name.”
Ankalaev suggested that under his reign, opportunities would come based on merit, not promotion. “There is a new champion now,” he added. “There’s a guy now that is not going to be selecting fights or getting fights groomed specifically for him to stay a champion.”
Murzakanov, ranked No. 10 in the division, has remained unbeaten since earning his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021. He will have a major chance to strengthen his case later this month when he faces Aleksandar Rakic on the undercard of UFC 321, headlined by Tom Aspinall’s heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane.
Meanwhile, another contender, Carlos Ulberg, is also pushing for a title shot. The New Zealander extended his winning streak to nine with a knockout of Dominick Reyes at UFC Perth and issued a warning to both Ankalaev and Pereira ahead of their rematch.
“I’m coming,” Ulberg declared, confident he can become the first man to defeat Ankalaev since Paul Craig seven years ago.
With Ankalaev now at the helm of a reshuffled light heavyweight division, fresh challengers such as Murzakanov and Ulberg could soon redefine the title picture.
