(autotag)Daniel Cormier(/autotag) is surprised that (autotag)Magomed Ankalaev(/autotag) hasn’t gotten a shot at the UFC light heavyweight title.
Instead, Anakalev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) is set to face Aleksandar Rakic (14-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) on Oct. 26 at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. That leaves light heavyweight champion (autotag) Alex Pereira (/autotag) (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) without an opponent, and Cormier wonders if scheduling Ankalaev against someone else was done on purpose considering “Poatan” has come up big for the promotion by saving UFC 300 and UFC 303 on short notice this year.
“I don’t know why Pereira isn’t fighting Ankalaev right now,” Cormier said in “Good boy/bad boy” with Chael Sonnen. “I don’t know why that’s not happening. What I like is that now Ankalaev has to pass another test because what the UFC is saying here is: ‘We have this star, we know that this guy here could be a real potential problem for that star, they will fight eventually, but they will fight when we have no other option. ‘ I like it.”
Cormier explained that Pereira’s last opponents have been dangerous strikers who do not have the ability to mix up the punches like Ankalaev does.
“I don’t think he’s taking the risk yet,” Cormier said. “I’m not saying Pereira can’t fight or beat Ankalaev. I just feel like it’s a very, very tough matchup, possibly the toughest for him in the entire light heavyweight division. So I think he either has to wait, or they put him in there right now with someone who’s a puncher because he’s knocking all those punchers out left and right, and every time he does that his star gets brighter.”
“Maybe that’s what happens to Alex Pereira, but I’m rarely surprised when fights are announced. But I remember sitting in Manchester and they said UFC 308, and when I saw Rakic take on Ankalaev, my jaw dropped. I thought, ‘They really did it. ‘ Sometimes you have to protect that goose that lays the golden eggs a little bit, and that’s what it feels like.”
Related
UFC champion Alex Pereira eyes December return, open to Magomed Ankalaev ‘or anyone’
Magomed Ankalaev: UFC champion Alex Pereira is ‘overrated’ and can’t move up to heavyweight before facing me
Magomed Ankalaev after UFC 303: “I’m going to knock out Alex Pereira. I don’t need to take him down”
Alex Pereira: Everyone talks about Magomed Ankalaev’s grappling, “but they don’t know my terrain”
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Daniel Cormier wonders if UFC is protecting ‘golden goose’ Alex Pereira by avoiding Magomed Ankalaev
