The surprise announcement that Khalil Rountree would be next in line to challenge Alex Pereira in the UFC 307 main event led to speculation that the reigning light heavyweight champion had snubbed top contender Magomed Ankalaev.
That is not the case, according to Pereira. While Ankalaev is considered to be a difficult style matchup for the Brazilian, “Poatan” claims that the decision to postpone the bout came from the Dagestani standout himself.
“I always wanted to fight Ankalaev, and I made it very clear to the organization, but Ankalaev didn't want to fight me,” Pereira said on his YouTube channel.