ABU DHABI – Alex Pereira might need his subsequent title challenger.
At UFC 308, Magomed Ankalaev added one other victory to a resume seen by many to already be title shot-worthy when he defeated Aleksandar Rakic by unanimous resolution (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). The sunshine heavyweight bout happened on the primary card at Etihad Enviornment on Yas Island.
As he referenced within the lead as much as the bout, Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) didn’t really feel he wanted a end in an effort to earn a championship crack. Throughout Saturday’s combat he utilized all quarter-hour to seek out victory.
It was a basic Ankalaev efficiency stuffed with technical placing, kicks, and clinch work. The hole between him and Rakic (14-5 MMA, 6-4 UFC) wasn’t giant, however it was evident and constant.
After the combat, Ankalaev pointed to Rakic for the dearth of motion within the bout and voiced his opinion that Rakic was the one evading exchanges.
“I feel I’ve finished every thing to earn the title shot,” Anakalaev stated. “I’d like to speak to Alex. I’d like to inform him cease operating away from me. We should always combat. That’s what everyone needs to see.”
Ankalaev has not misplaced in 13 fights since his UFC debut in March 2018. Many followers and media members predicted Ankalaev could be Pereira’s most up-to-date title problem, however the promotion elected to go along with Khalil Rountree as an alternative.
Getting into the combat, Ankalaev stated the UFC advised him a title shot would include victory, although UFC CEO Dana White has but to publicly verify that.
In defeat, Rakic falls right into a three-fight skid. He entered the bout off TKO losses to Jan Blachowicz and Jiri Prochazka.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 308 outcomes embrace:
- Magomed Ankalaev def. Aleksandar Rakic through unanimous resolution (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Lerone Murphy def. Dan Ige through unanimous resolution (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Shara Magomedov def. Armen Petrosyan through TKO (spinning backfist) – Spherical 2, 4:52
- Ibo Aslan def. Rafael Cerqueira through TKO (punches) – Spherical 1, 0:51
- Geoff Neal def. Rafael dos Anjos through TKO (harm) – Spherical 1, 1:30
- Mateusz Rebecki def. Myktybek Orolbai through break up resolution (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Abus Magomedov def. Brunno Ferreira through submission (arm-triangle choke) – Spherical 3, 3:14
- Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Chris Barnett through TKO (strikes) – Spherical 1, 4:27
- Farid Basharat def. Victor Hugo through unanimous resolution (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ismail Naurdiev def. Bruno Silva through unanimous resolution (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Carlos Leal through unanimous resolution (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
For extra on the cardboard, go to MMA Junkie’s occasion hub for UFC 308.
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