Outside Source
Ankalaev put his light heavyweight title on the line in a rematch against Pereira in the main event at UFC 320 last Saturday in Las Vegas. Despite being a sizeable favorite, Ankalaev was put on the back foot, dropped, and finished by Pereira in just 80 seconds.
Advertisement
Ankalaev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, subsequently hinted that the Russian was not in his best shape going into the fight. A video posted by Leo Guimaraes on social media has since emerged showing Anakalev undergoing treatment for a broken rib just 20 days ahead of his fight against “Poatan.” Ankalaev’s team, including Abdelaziz, allegedly wanted him to pull out of the fight.
Ankalaev Was Unable to Spar Leading up to UFC 320
According to MMAFighting.com, Magomedov spent more than a month in Las Vegas training for the Pereira rematch, but he struggled to spar and often ended sessions early due to the pain from the rib injury. While Ankalaev released a statement following the defeat, he did not address any physical limitations.
Pereira also landed brutal elbows to Ankalaev’s ribs while finishing him with ground-and-pound. Ankalaev beat Pereira via unanimous decision at UFC 313 to win the title this past March. Ankalaev’s loss to Pereira marked the end of a 14-fight unbeaten streak since his only other professional loss in his UFC debut in 2018. Considering his long route to the title and failure in his first title defense, Ankalaev will likely have to work his way back up.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
Help support MMACrazies.com when you shop Amazon by starting your online Amazon shopping at MMACrazies.com/recommends/amazon. You are not charged extra, but we receive a small and very helpful commission on everything you purchase. Thanks for thinking of us every time you shop at Amazon.
