Jiri Prochazka Says Magomed Ankalaev Was Clearly Compromised at UFC 320

Jiri Prochazka had a good view of what unfolded at UFC 320. | 📷: UFC/Getty

Jiri Prochazka noticed something off with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320.

Prochazka (32-5) was in attendance when Ankalaev (20-2) put his light heavyweight title on the line in a rematch against Alex Pereira at UFC 320. Pereira walked Ankalaev down, dropped him, and finished the contest with elbows and punches in just 80 seconds.

Prochazka noticed an entirely different Ankalaev than the one who dominated Pereira over five rounds to win the title at UFC 313 this past March.

“I saw him [pushing] himself back, a little step back. I saw he’s not right, something’s wrong,” Prochazka told MMA Fighting. “He was so careful, not like last time [when he was] going forward, up and down, changing levels, self-confidence. He was a totally different person there.”

In the aftermath of UFC 320, Ankalaev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, claimed that the fighter was not in his best shape. Videos have since surfaced of Ankalaev’s undergoing treatment for a rib injury just 20 days ahead of UFC 320. Ankalaev’s team reportedly wanted him to pull out of the fight, but the Dagestani was adamant about defending his title. Ankalaev was undefeated in 14 straight outings before his loss to Pereira.

Ankalaev was also looking to defend his crown against Prochazka this past June, when Pereira wasn’t available for a rematch. Ankalaev fired some shots at Prochazka after the Czech reportedly turned down a title shot to focus on his university exams. Prochazka later claimed that Ankalaev doesn’t handle his own social media, as he was cordial when they met in person. “BJP” is now rallying for the next light heavyweight title shot against Pereira.

This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com

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