Magomed Ankalaev reveals timeline for Alex Pereira rematch, issues a request to 'Poatan'

Magomed Ankalaev's social media game has been turned up a notch after he won the light heavyweight title from Alex Pereira at UFC 313. In hilarious fashion, the 31-year-old revealed when he wants to rematch 'Poatan'.

Anakalev defeated Pereira via unanimous decision, and both parties quickly expressed interest in a rematch. UFC CEO Dana White also co-signed with the idea.

Though many speculated that the rematch would be in October, when the UFC does its annual PPV in Abu Dhabi, Ankalaev's recent social media post would suggest otherwise:

"August, but please #noVaseline" - Ankalaev wrote on X.

Magomed Ankalaev's head coach, Sukhran Magomedov, accused Pereira of greasing at UFC 313. Many had predicted Ankalaev to land takedowns in the fight, but he couldn't get them even though he racked up control time by the cage.

The UFC has seen plenty of similar accusations fly between fighters in the past. After he lost his bantamweight title fight to then-champion Sean O'Malley at UFC 299, Marlon 'Chito' Vera also made a similar claim.

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Robert Whittaker gives his prediction for potential Magomed Ankalaev vs. Alex Pereira rematch

Soon after the culmination of UFC 313, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker shared his thoughts about the main event fight between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira on his MMArcade Podcast.

Whittaker credited Ankalaev's forward pressure as the main reason for his victory. He mentioned Pereira's previous fight with Khalil Rountree Jr. to prove his point.

As for the potential rematch between light heavyweights, the Australian pointed out that Ankalaev would be more confident:

"I think Ankalaev gained a ton of confidence from their first pairing. I think the hype and confidence train that Pereira had, that if he touches you, you're going to go out sort of vibe, is now mutish because Ankalaev didn't die. Like, he didn't go to sleep when Alex punched him," Whittaker said.

The former middleweight champion added that Pereira has lost his 'boogeyman vibes," which he got after securing four consecutive knockout victories at light heavyweight before the recent loss:

"I think it gave him so much confidence that's almost lent itself to why he's asking for that rematch straight away. He's like, all the boogeyman vibes, all the mysteries and uncertainties are now gone. He is very beatable, he is human, like anybody else," Whittaker added.

As such, Whittaker believes Ankalaev would win the rematch against Pereira, and in more dominant fashion than the UFC 313 victory.

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments about Magomed Ankalaev here (9:11).