Magomed Ankalaev open to immediate Alex Pereira rematch, takes shot at Jiri Prochazka

Magomed Ankalaev already has a lot to say as the newly crowned UFC light heavyweight champion.

The Russian standout defeated Alex Pereira via a methodical unanimous decision in Saturday’s UFC 313 main event to claim the crown, giving him bragging rights over one of MMA’s biggest stars. Sure enough, Ankalaev took to social media the next day to declare, “NO CHAMA,” while also praising his opponent and leaving the door open for an immediate rematch.

“It was an honor sharing the cage with you,” Ankalaev tweeted at Pereira. “You are a great champion and your team, your coaches have a lot of class. Let’s run it back anytime you want.”

Ankalaev wasn’t all compliments though as he also touted how his own striking skills compared to the vaunted punching power of Pereira, an aspect of the now-former champion’s game that was noticeably absent Saturday.

“I just watch the whole fight, I can out-strike the best strikers,” Ankalaev wrote. “First three rounds I made up my mind I will just strike with him, it was so much fun and it was not easy when all your opponent does is running. My pressure today was my best weapon and I’m very happy.”

Ankalaev also took the time to respond to UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, who congratulated him on Twitter.

Former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka also joined the conversation to praise Ankalaev’s performance and suggest Pereira meet him in a trilogy bout. He added that he might also go straight for the title coming off of an impressive win over Jamahal Hill at UFC 311, a comment that rubbed Ankalaev the wrong way.

“I think you are a fraud and so many guys deserve it more than you,” Ankalaev wrote in response to Prochazka. “You need to go and win some fights.”

“This guy is a terrible fighter,” Ankalaev added in response to a tweet from ESPN MMA about Prochazka.