MMA
Magomed Ankalaev admits he ignored teams pleas before Alex Pereira KO
Published
2 months agoon
Ankalaev ignored his team’s calls for him to pull out of the
Alex
Pereira rematch.
Ankalaev won the
Ultimate Fighting Championship 205-pound title against Pereira
in their first matchup at
UFC 313 in March 2025 in dominant fashion. The Russian then put
his title on the line against Pereira in their immediate rematch at
UFC 320 in October. “Poatan” knocked out Ankalaev in just 80
seconds to reclaim his strap.
The Russian has now divulged the obstacles he overcame ahead of the
rematch.
Magomed Ankalaev says health issues led his team to urge him to
withdraw from UFC 320 against Alex Pereira
Ankalaev's team and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, claimed that he was
not fully fit going into the rematch against Pereira. Abdelaziz
said that Ankalaev had decided to go ahead with the fight despite
being advised otherwise by his team.
Ankalaev recently admitted that he was dealing with health issues
going into UFC 320. The former light heavyweight champion also
reveals that he ignored his advisors when they told him that the
fight could be postponed if he pulled out. Ankalaev paid the price
for his mistake and doesn't want to relive the memory.
“I had some specific health issues at the time, and I was advised
by many not to even go out, to pull out of the fight, that they
were gonna move it to a later date,†Ankalaev told MMA Junkie. “I
decided that I was well enough to go on; I decided not to listen to
anybody. I made a mistake, and sometimes you have to pay for your
mistake. This has been a long time… I would rather not revisit it
if we can.â€
Ankalaev (20-2) was scheduled to return to action against Khalil
Rountree at
UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25. However, Rountree pulled out due to
an injury and has been replaced by Bogdan
Guskov (18-3) on 14 days' notice.
Magomed
Ankalaev admits he “made a mistake” rematching Alex
Pereira with compromised health at UFC 320 and sees
#UFCAbuDhabi as his road back to gold.“If we have to clean out the division once again, then we’ll do
that.”(via @MikeBohn)
pic.twitter.com/mLyalGl4aK— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie)
July 22, 2026
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MMA
Daniel Cormier thinks Manel Kape is serious threat to Joshua Van's UFC title run: "Manel has the power to knock him out"
Published
7 hours agoon
September 21, 2026
Zuffa LLCCould Joshua Van be in for his most dangerous challenger yet in the form of Manel Kape?
Van left no doubt that he is the true 125-pound king when he defeated Alexandre Pantoja in their UFC 331 rematch this past Saturday. Van won the championship in his first encounter with Pantoja due to an injury. He went on to have a successful title defense against Tatsuro Taira, but many felt the rematch with Pantoja was his first real test at an elite level.
Ultimately, Van shined bright and solidified his place at the top of the mountain. A dominant final round of a competitive five-round affair sealed the deal, and Van was awarded the unanimous decision victory.
A new test will emerge for Van, and the general consensus is that Kape will be become the new No. 1 contender for the flyweight gold. In a post-UFC 331 reaction video, Daniel Cormier said he thinks Kape is a credible threat to Van's title reign (h/t MMAJunkie).
“My guess is he's going to fight Manel Kape,†Cormier said. “He has been through now all the grapplers in the division, so he will not have to deal with that threat. The one area that Manel possesses that most don't is Manel has the power to knock him out. That's the difference. Manel can knock him out if he gets the opportunity.
“But in terms of a stylistic challenge, going through Taira, going through Pantoja back-to-back, he's already dealt with what most people thought would have been the biggest issue for Joshua Van, and that's the wrestling, and he passed those fights with flying colors, finishing Taira, and then tonight beating Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision.â€
UFC CEO Dana White had significant praise for Van following Saturday's event. He called the 125-pound titleholder the “greatest thing†to happen to the flyweight division in the modern era. Kape plans to spoil the party if he does indeed get dibs next.
Do you think Manel Kape would be Joshua Van's most dangerous challenger thus far? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
MMA
Video: All 7 UFC 331 finishes from a wild night in Los Angeles
Published
8 hours agoon
September 21, 2026
MMA
Arman Tsarukyan wants Ilia Topuria fully healed before potential grudge match: "Once I become champion, we'll talk"
Published
8 hours agoon
September 21, 2026
Zuffa LLCArman Tsarukyan believes a clash with Ilia Topuria is inevitable, but he doesn't think it should happen until “El Matador†is 100 percent ready to go.
Tsarukyan made perhaps the ultimate case for a lightweight title shot when he knocked out Mauricio Ruffy in the first round of their UFC 331 fight with an elbow. “The Batman†extended his winning streak to six, and four of those victories have been finishes. Even longtime UFC color commentator Joe Rogan believes Tsarukyan can no longer be denied a title fight against Justin Gaethje next.
Prior to Tsarukyan's win over Ruffy, UFC play-by-play ace Jon Anik said he believes there have been discussions within the UFC brass about potentially booking a title rematch between Gaethje and Topuria. In the aftermath of UFC 331, Tsarukyan told Sport24 that he'll be willing to fight Topuria, but only after he gets his hands on Gaethje and captures the 155-pound gold (via Home of Fight).
“Let Ilia see an ophthalmologist and take some time to fully recover, maybe another four or five months,†Tsarukyan said. “Once I become champion, we'll talk. I'd be happy to fight him.â€
Topuria was battered to the point where he suffered a broken orbital in his lightweight title loss against Gaethje in the UFC Freedom 250 main event back in June. “El Matador†accused Gaethje of loading his gloves, but UFC CEO Dana White has dismissed that claim.
It's hard to imagine Tsarukyan's next fight not being contested for a UFC championship, but he won't be getting one until at least 2027. Gaethje has said that both his hands haven't fully healed stemming from injuries suffered in the victory over Topuria, and he doesn't plan on fighting again for the remainder of 2026.
Do you think we'll see Arman Tsarukyan vs. Ilia Topuria at some point next year? Join in on the conversation in the comments below.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
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