Alex Pereira has expressed that he expected to defend his UFC light heavyweight title versus Magomed Ankalaev next, but apparently the fight was refused.

After knocking out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303 in June, most had anticipated that Ankalaev was the next stop for the Brazilian, but he is now scheduled to square off with Khalil Rountree in October at UFC 307. Meanwhile, Ankalaev with face Aleksandar Rakic later that same month.

In a recent statement on his YouTube channel, Pereira addressed the fans’ concerns surrounding the fact that he will not be facing Ankalaev next, and indicated that the Russian was not interested in accepting the offer.

“A lot of people ask me, I always wanted to fight against Ankalaev,” Pereira said “I threw that to the organization, left it very clear, but Ankalaev didn’t want to fight against me. I don’t know the reason, if it was the location, if he just didn’t want to. He isn’t the champion. He can’t pick anything.

“I think it’s the opportunity that shows up. He didn’t want it. He has his reasoning. I don’t know what it is. I came to tell you guys I’m not scared of anyone. Everyone knows my history, everything I’ve done, who I went against – not just in MMA but kickboxing. It’s obvious that I want to fight this guy.”