Magomed Ankalaev fires shots at the UFC claiming they only put Aleksandar Rakić in front of him to ‘defend’ Alex Pereira

Magomed Ankalaev is insistent that the UFC has matched him up with Aleksandr Rakić in a bid to keep him away from Alex Pereira.

The light heavyweight contenders are set to go head-to-head on Saturday night at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLCMagomed Ankalaev says the UFC is using Aleksandar Rakić to protect Alex PereiraRiding the wave of an undefeated run that started in 2018, Magomed Ankalaev has undoubtedly cemented his place as the number one contender in the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

Thus, many were puzzled when Khalil Rountree received the shot to fight Alex Pereira earlier this month, while the Dagestani has got to get through another almighty task in the former of Aleksandar Rakić.

With formidable kickboxing skills, the Austrian has solidified his status as one of the most dangerous strikers in the division, with knockout victories over Jimi Manuwa and Devin Clark to prove it.

With this considered, he presents a very dangerous challenge for Ankalaev to overcome.

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The Russian is fully aware of the task at hand, claiming the UFC has put the fighter in his way to prevent him from getting his hands on ‘Poatan’, but insists that regardless of the caliber of the man in front of him, he’s going to secure the win and claim the title shot he so desperately craves.

At the UFC 308 press conference, he said: “We know that Rakic is a great fighter. I think the only reason the UFC put him in front of me is to defend their champion.

“So, we’re going to go across from him, we’re going to roll him over, and then we’re going to move onto the champ.”

Aleksandr Rakić makes a bold prediction ahead of fight with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 308Despite the bookmakers writing him off, in a testament to his self-belief, Rakić is convinced he has what it takes to upset the applecart.

With ten finishes in 14 victories, the 32-year-old certainly knows what it takes to stop world-level competition.

And the warrior is confident he can do it again on Saturday night.

He recently delivered an interesting prediction on what’s going to happen when UFC 308 rolls around.

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