Magomed Ankalaev's confidence sky-high after UFC 313 win as he talks defeating prime Jon Jones: "I don’t see why not"

Magomed Ankalaev is confident about beating the prime version of Jon Jones after his victory against Alex Pereira at UFC 313. Ankalaev feels his weapons are lethal enough to defeat Jones in a potential matchup.

Ankalaev earned the light heavyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Pereira. The Dagestani made a good comeback in the second round after absorbing an array of calf-kicks from his Brazilian rival in the first round of the fight.

Ankalaev wobbled Pereira with a strong right hand in the final seconds of the second round. He could have finished the fight right then if there were a few more seconds left in the round. However, the 32-year-old switched to clinching and pressing down his rival against the cage in the championship rounds, which ultimately proved good enough for a win.

During the post-UFC 313 press conference, the reigning light heavyweight king counted himself capable enough to beat the best version of Jon Jones at light heavyweight. He said:

"I think I could. Back then if I was fighting in the same time as Jon Jones, I don’t see why not." [Translated from Russian]

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Khabib Nurmagomedov gives Magomed Ankalaev his flowers after UFC 313 victory

Magomed Ankalaev also hails from Dagestan, the same place that produced the former lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. 'The Eagle' may have retired from actively competing in MMA in 2020, but he is widely regarded as the flag bearer of Dagestani MMA to date.

Staying true to his reputation, Nurmagomedov came up with a warm wish for Ankalaev after his light heavyweight title victory against Alex Pereira at UFC 313. He wrote:

"Congratulations, Brother @AnkalaevM [Magoed Anakalev's X username] you made a history. It was amazing performance against very tough opponent."