Russian mixed martial arts fighter Magomed Ankalayev in an interview with , he told the details of the episode of the fight with Brazilian Johnny Walker, which led to the fact that the fight was declared invalid.
The light heavyweight fight took place in October during the UFC 294 tournament in Abu Dhabi. In the first round, the Russian hit his opponent with a knee to the head on the ground, which is prohibited by the regulations. The fight was declared invalid. Ankalaev and Walker will have a rematch on January 13 at UFC Fight Night 234 in Las Vegas. The winner of the fight will likely become the next contender for the championship belt in the under 93 kg category.
“Can you explain why you kneed Walker in the head?” »
– Do you think I did that on purpose? It was an accidental hit, I didn’t intend to hit the forbidden one. I controlled him, slammed him against the net, and at one point I decided to let him get up so I could hit him with my knee. But it turned out that he didn’t get up and at that moment I hit him with my knee.
— Did you feel that the blow was not so violent that he could not continue fighting?
“He was in good health, he spoke, he understood everything. There was no such blow to break up the fight.
— He posted a video in which it is clear that you met in the UFC hall in Las Vegas and talked about something. What was this conversation about?
– It’s a secret.
— Usually they try to separate opponents by time in the room?
– Yes, they also asked us about training times, but that day I came early. And yet, at the entrance, they asked me: “Is your opponent there, is everything okay?” I said I had no problem with that.
-Did you shake hands?
– Certainly. “It’s nothing personal,” Ankalaev told .
Watch the live broadcast of the UFC Fight Night 234 tournament on January 13 from 11:55 p.m. on the Match! Fighter”, as well as on January 14 from 3:00 p.m. on the federal channel “”.
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.
