“In 2024 I will be the champion,” the 31-year-old Russian fighter wrote on social media. “Next week I will do something special. The final point will be put in this story.”
The top welterweights’ first fight, which took place last October at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, failed to produce a winner as the Brazilian, who missed a banned knee strike from the Russian in the fourth minute of the first round, failed to convince a doctor that he was fit to continue.
The re-match between Ankalaev and Walker will be the main event of UFC Fight Night 234, which takes place Jan. 13 in Las Vegas.
In December 2022, Magomed Ankalaev made an unsuccessful attempt to win the vacant UFC flyweight championship belt by drawing a title fight against Poland’s Jan Blachowicz. Prior to that, the Russian fighter had reeled off nine straight wins in the UFC, confidently closing out a disappointing loss to Scotland’s Paul Craig in his debut fight under the organization’s banner.