Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Magomed Ankalayev in an interview with , he said he could challenge for the title again if he beats Johnny Walker in Abu Dhabi.
The fight between Ankalaev and Walker will take place on October 21 as part of the UFC 294 tournament. For Ankalaev, the fight with Walker will be the first since the draw in the title fight with Jan Blachowicz in December last year. Johnny Walker is on a three-fight winning streak, but unlike Ankalaev, the Brazilian fighter has four losses in the UFC. Ankalaev has only lost one fight, since March 2018.
– Johnny Walker is the tallest light heavyweight in the division with a height of 195 cm. Who was your tallest training partner?
— Most of my training partners are tall, around 190 cm: Rizvan Kuniev, Rashid Yusupov, Ali Isaev. We have a large team of heavyweights coming together to train, among whom there are many greats. There was no shortage of sparring partners.
— Do you think Walker is your most unconventional opponent?
“We’ll be able to tell after the fight, because until the cage closes and I fight him, I can’t give him an evaluation. I know he’s not very conventional, he throws strange punches and he’s a very bright and interesting fighter. I am very happy to have received such an opponent.
— Did you see that he posted a video of himself eating your portrait?
— I saw this video, they started sending it to me. I always have a positive attitude because the fight needs to be promoted. I don’t do that, I’m just a fighter who trains and goes to fight, and the UFC needs a spectacle. That’s why I support him, let him do it, it won’t bother me in any way. In battle we will show him that the portrait must be eaten or punched. The cage will close and he will understand that he made a mistake by eating me.
– Do you think he can be the most physically powerful opponent?
— In the light heavyweight division, everyone is strong, he is not the only one. Everyone I fought with was physically powerful. I can’t name a single fighter that I could easily knock down. They are all strong, but that doesn’t play a big role.
— If you win, do you become a contender for the title?
— As my managers say, yes. If I win this fight, I will get a title fight,” Ankalaev said in an interview with .
Live broadcasts of mixed martial arts tournaments can be seen on and Match! Fighter”, as well as on the sites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
