Title Contender Put on Notice by Dana White Ahead of UFC 308

Giuseppe Cacace/AFP via Getty Magomed Ankalaev Johnny Walker compete in their Light Heavyweight bout during UFC 294 on October 21, 2023.

Nearly two years after his title bout against Jan Blachowicz ended in a split draw, Magomed Ankalaev hopes he’s on the verge of another shot at a UFC belt. Ankalaev, the #1 ranked light heavyweight contender, will face Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on October 26.

“I was pretty much told that with this win I’m next in line for the title, so that’s what I hope is going to happen,” Ankalaev told reporters through an interpreter at the UFC 308 media day on October 23. “It wasn’t a condition that it’s a finish, I was just told by Dana (White) that it has to be a good fight. That I have to show myself well and then I’ll get a title shot.”

After the draw with Blachowicz on December 10, 2022, at UFC 282, the 32-year-old Russian has faced Johnny Walker twice. His first fight against Walker, at UFC 294 in October 2023, ended in a no contest after Ankalaev delivered an illegal knee while Walker was grounded. Ankalaev won their rematch in the UFC Vegas 84 main event in January 2024 with a second round TKO, setting the stage for what could be a title eliminator match against Rakic.

Magomed Ankalaev Says He Doesn’t ‘Want to Keep Talking About’ Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira

When asked about current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira, Ankalaev told reporters through an interpreter at the media day interview, “To be honest I don’t want to keep talking about Pereira but people keep asking me questions about Pereira, so if they ask I have to answer. But really I’m focused on my fight. I’m worried about my opponent in front of me. I’m out there looking to win.”

Ankalaev told reporters, “I don’t feel any threat in this division. I think that we can even go up a division and be a threat there.”

Ankalaev will enter the Octagon at UFC 308 with a 19-1-1 record in his career and on a 12-fight unbeaten streak since his March 2018 UFC debut, when he tapped to a Paul Craig triangle choke submission with one second left in the fight. Ankalaev earned a Performance of the Night bonus from the UFC after his knockout win over Walker in his last bout in January.

Aleksandar Rakic Says He Was Happy to Get the Matchup With Ankalaev After an Exciting Fight a UFC 300

Rakic, an Austrian fighter with a 14-4 record, told reporters at media day, “What makes me really happy is that the UFC gave me Ankalaev and I honestly believe that if I didn’t put a good fight at UFC 300, it doesn’t matter the result, I would never get that fight. And when I got the fight against Ankalaev, I immediately said yes. … This is the best matchup for me.”

Rakic enters UFC 308 coming off of back-to-back losses to Blachowicz and Jiří Procházka. Rakic injured his knee in the May 2022 fight against Blachowicz and then returned at UFC 300 in April 2024 against Procházka, losing via knockout in the second round after a strong opening 5 minutes against the former champion.

Rakic told reporters he is looking forward to fighting twice in a calendar year for the first time since 2019, “Finally. I was dealing with some injuries, but I know that consistency is the key to get the victories and get the victory on Saturday. … I want to stay active. I’m healthy, I have no injuries. And I hope after the fight also no injuries, and to finish the fight and to relax a little bit after the fight with my family and then get back to work and work my way up to the title.”

Rakic added, “I’m ready to crash the party on Saturday.”

The UFC 308 PPV card is set to begin at 2 p.m. Eastern on October 26. Along with Rakic and Ankalaev, Sharaputdin Magomedov will face Armen Petrosyan in a middleweight fight and Lerone Murphy and Dan Ige will battle in the featherweight division.

In the co-main event, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is set to take on the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev before Ilia Topuria defends his featherweight championship against former champ Max Holloway in the main event.