Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka didn’t hold back in response to Magomed Ankalaev’s scathing tweet.
Magomed Ankalaev capped off his now 14-fight unbeaten streak with a UFC championship victory last Saturday over Alex Pereira. In the UFC 313 main event, Ankalaev outpointed Pereira with pace and pressure to dethrone the Brazilian superstar.
It was an astounding performance from Ankalaev, almost three years since he fought to a draw against Jan Blachowicz for the belt at UFC 282. Now, Ankalaev is leading the pack at 205 lbs, and could potentially face Pereira in an immediate rematch.
If Pereira decides to take some time off, Ankalaev has a willing adversary in Jiri Prochazka. Prochazka sent messages to Pereira and Ankalaev after UFC 313 and offered to fight both rivals for his next outing.
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Jiri Prochazka/Magomed Ankalaev bad blood boils: ‘Only fraud is him!’
Despite a cordial callout from Prochazka, Ankalaev didn’t respond kindly. Ankalaev called Prochazka a ‘fraud’ in response and discredited the former titleholder’s case for a title shot.
In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Prochazka didn’t hold back on Ankalaev after his social media taunts.
“He doesn’t know me, I don’t know him personally. One thing that I can say to Ankalaev: he can think whatever he wants, but I know that the only person who is a fraud is him,” Prochazka said. “Because when I met him at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, he was there, very nice, friendly. ‘Hello, nice to meet you!’, all good. And right now, he’s a superstar, big gangster and playing these games. Hyped, and I understand, he won the title against the worst performance of Alex Pereira’s [career].
“The only fraud here is Magomed Ankalaev,” Prochazka continued. “Worst fighter? Every time I’m giving everything into my fights, going to finish my opponents and to give it my all…unlike him! When he’s fighting, many times in the second or third rounds, when there’s a [need for] a high performance, he’s trying to run away…so that only means one thing, the only fraud person here is Magomed Ankalaev… I’ll do whatever is necessary to catch Ankalaev.”
Prochazka makes an interesting case for a title shot after finishing Jamahal Hill at UFC 311 in January. He bounced back after two title losses to Pereira, one of which came on weeks’ notice at UFC 303.
- READ MORE: Alex Pereira’s former rival sends classy post-fight message after picking against him at UFC 313
Magomed Ankalaev attacked Jon Jones after ‘small flex’ online
Prochazka wasn’t the only top name that Ankalaev attacked on social media following his UFC 313 title win. Ankalaev blasted UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, responding to the champ’s self-promotion by labeling him a ‘big cheater’ and discrediting his career title defense numbers.
Ankalaev hasn’t ruled out a potential move to heavyweight if he defeats Pereira in an immediate rematch. UFC CEO Dana White says the Ankalaev vs. Pereira rematch is likely next for the division later this year.
Jones is in active negotiations to face interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall later this year. White and the UFC brass remain confident in finalizing the fight, potentially for International Fight Week this summer.
In the meantime, Ankalaev isn’t pulling punches, and the newly-crowned UFC light heavyweight champion is happy to play the heel role as he begins his title reign.