Ankalaev Hopes For Trilogy Against Alex Poatan: "I'll Go After That Fight" — Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation: This Saturday (25), Magomed Ankalaev returns to the octagon for the first time since losing the light heavyweight title (93 kg) of the Ultimate to Alex 'Poatan' in October last year. Set to headline the UFC Abu Dhabi card, the Russian fighter will face Bogdan Guskov, with the mission of getting back in the winning column and moving closer to another title opportunity in the division. But, despite being focused on this next challenge, the former champion doesn't hide his desire to revive a showdown against an old rival.

In an interview with 'Red Corner', Ankalaev revealed he holds onto hope of completing a trilogy against Alex Poatan. Not even the Brazilian's recent move to the heavyweight division was enough to discourage the former Russian champion, who remains confident in the public appeal potential this rivalry with the São Paulo striker can generate as a differentiator when pitching a third matchup to the UFC.

"I want this fight, and I'm going to go after it. We're 1 to 1. I won the first fight and lost the second, but it was just an accident. As long as Alex (Poatan) doesn't retire, I think the third fight would be very exciting for the fans," Ankalaev stated.

Alex Poatan vs Magomed Ankalaev

To date, the scorecard of the rivalry between Alex Poatan and Magomed Ankalaev shows a 1-1 tie. In their first encounter, fought in March of last year, the Russian got the better of the then light heavyweight champion, winning on points. In the rematch, the Brazilian got even, knocking out 'Big Ank' in just 1 minute and 20 seconds of fighting, recovering the 93 kg strap from the organization, which would later be left vacant by the São Paulo native when opting to move up to heavyweight.

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