Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev doesn’t do one callout at a time. After stopping Nikita Krylov at UFC 333, the light heavyweight tagged Alex Pereira, Jiri Prochazka, Dominick Reyes and Khalil Rountree, according to MiddleEasy, which also noted that no matchup has been announced.
That’s two former champions and two guys sitting comfortably inside the top six. For a fighter who was outside most people’s radar a month ago, that’s a lot of names to drop in one breath.
The win itself was quick. Yakhyaev put Krylov away with punches at 2:38 of Round 1 on October 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. It was one of seven finishes on a card that also had Alexander Volkanovski stopping Movsar Evloev in Round 2 to keep the featherweight belt.
Where everybody sits
The UFC Meta Rankings that MMA Mania published after the event (a composite system, separate from the UFC’s official list) moved Yakhyaev up two spots to No. 13 at light heavyweight. Here’s where his targets landed:
- Alex Pereira, No. 1 at 205 and also No. 3 at heavyweight
- Jiri Prochazka, No. 3
- Dominick Reyes, No. 4, up three spots
- Khalil Rountree, No. 6, down one
Carlos Ulberg holds the belt. Magomed Ankalaev sits at No. 2, and Yakhyaev skipped him entirely.
Pereira is the strangest name on the list, and I mean that as a compliment to Yakhyaev’s nerve. Pereira is ranked in two divisions and just got passed by Alexander Volkov at heavyweight, so he’s got plenty of options that don’t involve the No. 13 guy at 205.
Reyes is the most interesting one, because he fought on the same card and looked great doing it. He dropped Azamat Murzakanov with a head kick and finished him with ground strikes at 2:40 of Round 1. MMA Junkie pointed out that Reyes has now won five of his last six, four by knockout and three in the first round, after a four-fight skid that started with the Jon Jones title fight a lot of people still think Reyes won. Murzakanov tumbled five spots to No. 14 for his trouble, which puts him right behind Yakhyaev.
Rountree is the one who makes the most sense on paper. He slipped a spot to No. 6, and a ranked opponent looking to climb is exactly the kind of fight a guy in his spot either takes or gets passed by.
Quick take
I like a fighter who wins in under three minutes and then asks for the hardest room in the building. That said, Pereira and Prochazka aren’t walking down nine rungs of the ladder to fight a guy at No. 13. Reyes is red hot and has no reason to take a step back either. Rountree is the realistic ask, and it’s a good fight: two guys who’d rather knock you out than win a decision. Book that one for early 2027. Until then, Yakhyaev gets to watch UFC 334 in New York next month like the rest of us, waiting to see whose phone he lights up next.
