Magomed Ankalaev eyes heavyweight fight in January, says nobody in 205 top five wants to fight
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev says Rountree, Reyes and Costa all have reasons not to fight him and asks if any heavyweight is ready in January.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev says he is ready to move up to heavyweight after failing to find an opponent at 205 pounds. In a post on X on Monday, November 9, the Russian named three top light heavyweights he says are unavailable and asked whether anyone at heavyweight wants to fight him in January. The UFC has not announced a weight change or a next fight for him.
What Ankalaev wrote
"Looks like nobody in the top five at light heavyweight wants to fight," Ankalaev wrote. "Everybody's got a reason. Khalil Rountree not ready, Reyes just fought and is injured. Costa wants $10 million."
He then turned to the division above: "So what about heavyweight? Anybody ready to fight? Let's do it in January."
Ankalaev did not name a heavyweight opponent. Sherdog noted that no move up has been announced, and none of Khalil Rountree Jr., Dominick Reyes or Paulo Costa had publicly responded to the post at the time of writing.
Why he is running out of options
Ankalaev (21-2-1) won the light heavyweight title from Alex Pereira at UFC 313 in March 2025 and lost it back to the Brazilian by first-round TKO in their immediate rematch at UFC 320 that October. He returned in July this year and stopped Bogdan Guskov in the fifth round in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi.
Since then, the matchups he has chased have not come together:
- Paulo Costa: in September Ankalaev publicly offered to be Costa's "get-out-of-jail-free card" during the Brazilian's contract dispute with the UFC. Costa said his last contract fight was set for three rounds, while Ankalaev wanted five. Ankalaev now says Costa "wants $10 million".
- Dominick Reyes: Reyes knocked out Azamat Murzakanov in the first round at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on October 24. Ankalaev says he is injured; Reyes has not commented on that.
- Dricus du Plessis: in October Ankalaev said a fight with the former middleweight champion at 205 was being discussed. That has not materialised either.
Other options at the top of the division are booked or sidelined. Champion Carlos Ulberg is recovering from a torn ACL and aims to defend early in 2027, and Jiri Prochazka faces Navajo Stirling in Doha on November 21.
Following Pereira up a weight class
As Bloody Elbow pointed out, Ankalaev has previously said he would be open to completing a trilogy with Pereira at heavyweight. Pereira moved up this year, lost his heavyweight debut to Ciryl Gane in June and faces Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335 in Las Vegas on December 12.
The heavyweight title picture is also set to change this week. Gane defends the belt against unbeaten Josh Hokit in the UFC 334 main event at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, November 14. Johnny Walker, whom Ankalaev knocked out in January 2024, has won two straight at heavyweight, most recently against Waldo Cortes-Acosta on November 7.
For now it is only a callout. Ankalaev has not said whether he would stay at heavyweight long-term or return to 205 once a contender is available. POP MMA will update this story if the UFC books his next fight.
Source: Magomed Ankalaev (X): post on light heavyweight top five and heavyweight, Nov 9, 2026, Sherdog: Magomed Ankalaev calls out UFC heavyweights after frustration at 205, Bloody Elbow: Magomed Ankalaev wants to join Alex Pereira at heavyweight as he says 'nobody' at 205 will fight him, Magomed Ankalaev (X): 'get-out-of-jail-free card' offer to Paulo Costa, Sep 21, 2026.