Russian light heavyweight coach Magomed Ankalaeva Sukhrab Magomedov, in an interview with , said whether the fighter could compete at UFC 300.
At UFC Fight Night 234, the third number one in the light heavyweight rankings, Magomed Ankalaev, defeated Johnnie Walker by knockout and became one of the possible contenders for the title in his weight. Current champion Alex Pereira’s trainer, Glover Teixeira, offered to play for the belt at the UFC 300 tournament on April 13. Additionally, in 2024, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan will end on April 9, which could greatly complicate Ankalaev’s combat preparation. Traditionally, during Ramadan, a fasting person cannot take water or food from sunrise to sunset.
— Magomed said he would fight for the belt at UFC 300 on April 13, but it turns out Ramadan will end four days before UFC 300. Is it possible to prepare by fasting?
— It all depends on the opponent. If it’s a title fight, then we will have to prepare normally, and we will prepare. In general, everything depends on Mohammed’s mood. He is capable of many things. I see what he does in the gym and I can tell you he can do a lot of things. It seems to me that at the moment a little emotional stress is bothering him. This puts a bit of pressure on him and on our athletes in general.
— Do you understand how to build a training process during Ramadan?
— We try to go to training closer to the evening, closer to the end of the fast. And immediately after training we break the fast, eat food, drink water. At such a time, I would simply work more on technique and tactics, I would not do intensive training, I would not work on physics much. I wouldn’t do any strength training in a month like this.
— What do you think of the current champion Alex Pereira?
“He’s a good striker, but he doesn’t have the fight.” If he gets transferred to the ground, he won’t be able to do anything about it. Maybe he’s working on his wrestling, but you don’t get good wrestling in a year or two. Neither on the ground nor upstairs. This can be easily translated, I think. He’s dangerous in a standing position, but he works more at short and medium distances, that’s the K-1 style. The work there is a little different. And Magomed, when he works, manages to do it from a long distance. He hits his left side very short. If you keep him at a distance, if you put pressure on him yourself, if you hit more front kicks, you can calmly transfer him,” Sukhrab Magomedov told .
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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.
