Manager of the AMC Fight Nights League Kamil Gadjiev in a conversation with , he cited the factors that could hinder the Russian light heavyweight Magomed Ankalayev defeating current UFC champion Alex Pereira in a title fight.
At the UFC Vegas 84 tournament held on January 13 in Las Vegas, Ankalaev knocked out Brazilian Johnny Walker in the second round and became one of the contenders for the light heavyweight belt. The belt is currently held by former kickboxer Alex Pereira, who defeated Jiri Prochazka by knockout.
— Who would you call the favorite in a possible title fight for the UFC belt between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira?
— Magomed has a small margin of strength in wrestling, which he has not yet demonstrated. And it’s not necessary yet. He fights fundamentally well, like almost all Dagestan fighters. And in the fight with Walker, this was not necessary. But Pereira has enormous experience in title fights, and that is his clear advantage over Magomed. Moreover, we know that Maga sometimes becomes exhausted at very important moments. Therefore, the big question is how the fight will go for Ankalaev and Pereira. And so far it’s hard to call him a favorite.
— Don’t you think that the UFC can simply exhaust Ankalaev with endless contender fights? For example, if now we give him Jiri Prochazka.
“They’ll give him Prochazka or another fight, and that might wear him out. Because he will have a feeling of injustice. “What else do I have to do to get the title?!”, Magomed will say. Moreover, he has now won earlier than expected. So the question is: will he retain the emotion that is important for the title fight or will he come there completely unmotivated and tired, then it will be even more difficult for him,” Gadzhiev told .
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.
