It’s MMA, so anything can happen, Ali Abdelaziz acknowledged. But absent some fluke, he says the next UFC light heavyweight title fight is all but locked up.

It’s been the consensus, anyway, that 205-pound champ Alex Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) will take on Abdelaziz client Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) next, but Pereira has made some intimations that the UFC might have other ideas. And Abdelaziz thinks there might be a little gamesmanship going on from the Brazilian.

If so, it’s for naught, is what the longtime manager surmises.

“Alex Pereira can say whatever he wants. That guy is such a killer,” Abdelaziz said. “He fought three fights in 167 days. Who am I to say – he cannot say whatever he wants? He’s having fun. Ankalaev’s having fun with him. But the only thing that’s going to matter – him and Ankalaev are going to be locked in a cage.

“… Alex Pereira is fighting Magomed Ankalaev next. The UFC – everything can be maneuvered, get delayed. In the UFC, the best fight with the best. It’s the only promotion in the world, I can tell you this – if you keep winning, you get to fight for a title. There’s not too much politics in the UFC.”

The politics bit might be up for debate, but by and large, the winning thing typically holds true. And that’s all Ankalaev has done, really, since his UFC debut – a stunner of a submission loss with just one second left against Paul Craig. But after a nine-fight tear, he got a title shot – and a draw with Jan Blachowicz for the vacant belt.

He put himself back in position after a knockout of Johnny Walker and a decision over Aleksandar Rakic this past October, and Abdelaziz said the Russian is confident he can take Pereira out. Pereira, a former middleweight champ, defended his light heavyweight title three times in 2024 and became arguably the UFC’s biggest active star.

“I think this is one of the most intriguing fights,” Abdelaziz said. “Ankalaev, what he told me, he said, ‘I’m not wrestling with this guy. I’m going to show everybody why, if (Israel Adesanya) can knock this guy out, Izzy cannot even wash my boots in striking. I’m going to knock Alex Pereira out and I’ll get the respect I’ve been deserving for a long time.’ I believe it’s a long test to strike with this guy and knock him out, but I believe Magomed Ankalaev can do it.”