Ali Abdelaziz pushes for Magomed Ankalaev vs. Paulo Costa as ideal next light heavyweight title eliminator

Ali Abdelaziz wants Magomed Ankalaev vs. Paulo Costa to be the next meaningful light heavyweight No. 1 contender bout, framing the matchup as a straightforward way to sort out the division’s top tier contenders. Abdelaziz’s argument centers on Ankalaev’s recent performance and the competitive logic of pairing a precision-focused opponent with one of the division’s biggest-profile finishers.

Ankalaev enters the conversation after a dominant finish over Bogdan Guskov in the UFC Fight Night 282 headliner in Abu Dhabi, an outcome Abdelaziz and others around the sport point to as evidence Ankalaev is ready to push back toward the title picture. According to the report, Ankalaev is a former light heavyweight champion and owns a 21-2-1 MMA record with a 12-2-1 mark inside the UFC, numbers that underscore how consistently he has been able to translate his style to the sport’s highest level.

The manager’s push also comes with a reminder that promotion and fan reception can matter in the heavyweight ecosystem of UFC matchmaking. In the same account, Paulo Costa reacted by criticizing Ankalaev’s performance as “boring,” and the report also notes that Costa pointed to Ankalaev receiving booed reactions during the Abu Dhabi fight. That tension, Abdelaziz appears to believe, should not derail the sport’s primary objective, which is setting up clear, merit-based progression toward a title opportunity.

From a matchup-design standpoint, Costa calling out Ankalaev’s style is not the only thing at stake. A Costa-Ankalaev fight would pit two heavyweights of decision-making and threat assessment, with Ankalaev’s track record built on controlling distance and forcing opponents into situations where their offense has to pass through tight windows. Costa’s public criticism implies a belief that a larger, more aggressive profile is needed from the division’s next contender, which could lead to a more confrontational dynamic if the fight is ever formally discussed by the UFC.

Abdelaziz’s endorsement matters for how UFC contender pictures are shaped. Even when fighters disagree about entertainment value, managers often steer negotiations toward the fights they believe can be justified in the rankings hierarchy. In this case, Abdelaziz is effectively arguing that Ankalaev vs. Costa checks the right boxes for a No. 1 contender showdown, meaning the bout could become the bridge between “credible contender” status and an actual path to challenging for the belt.

It also leaves a clear question for the division’s next chapter: will the UFC decide that the style debate is secondary to the competitive case, or will the promotion interpret fan response as a factor in matchmaking priority? Until an official announcement comes from the UFC, the only firmly established details remain Ankalaev’s reported Abu Dhabi performance and Abdelaziz’s insistence that a Costa matchup is the correct next step for the light heavyweight landscape.

For fans and matchmakers, the next watch item is whether Abdelaziz’s advocacy turns into concrete talks. If the UFC moves that direction, Ankalaev would be tested against a known, vocal challenger with a different approach to pacing and pressure, while Costa would be forced to convert criticism into a high-stakes performance against a proven upper-echelon opponent.