Connect with us

MMA

Magomed Ankalaev blamed for lackluster UFC Abu Dhabi main event by former UFC champion

Published

on

Magomed Ankalaev blamed for lackluster UFC Abu Dhabi main event by former UFC champion

A former UFC champion believes Magomed Ankalaev's style is set up for slow-paced fights like his win at UFC Abu Dhabi.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev returned to the win column by defeating Bogdan Guskov at UFC Abu Dhabi last weekend. After a knockout loss to Alex Pereira in their UFC 320 rematch, Ankalaev returned to the title mix with an impressive late knockout against Guskov.

Despite the win, Ankalaev heard from social media critics of his at-times sluggish performance against Guskov. While Ankalaev has earned several finishes during his UFC career, he's won most of his fights via decision, earning himself the label of being ‘boring' in the minds of many fans.

Ankalaev blamed Guskov for the slow-paced fight last weekend in his post-fight remarks. One former UFC champion believes Ankalaev's style fails to create fan-friendly bouts.

TJ Dillashaw: Magomed Ankalaev's ‘boring' style to blame for sluggish UFC Abu Dhabi

In a recent episode of the JAXXON Podcast, former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw scorched Ankalaev's style following UFC Abu Dhabi.

“Boring! Just so boring,†Dillashaw said of Ankalaev.

“He's just such a point fighter. You can't fight him the way Guskov did. You can't stand in his distance and let him – he's a one punch, one kick at a time kind of guy.†(h/t MMA Junkie)

Dillashaw went on to point out that former UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira set the blueprint for all of Ankalaev's future opponents.

“You can see it perfectly when Pereira fights him,†Dillashaw continued on Ankalaev.

“The first fight compared to the second fight. The first fight he stayed in that distance and let him pick his shot at a time, get his angle, throw one kick, throw one punch. And in the second fight, he comes forward, puts him on his back leg, and gets him out. So, you can't let him fight his fight. You got to put the pressure on him; you got to make him fight going backwards.

“Yes, you're taking some risk, but it's a lot better than you just sitting there and losing a fight.â€

Do you agree with TJ Dillashaw's stance on Magomed Ankalaev's style? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MMA

Dana White has stopped listening to Eddie Hearn amid Fury-Joshua talks

Published

on

Dana White has stopped listening to Eddie Hearn amid Fury-Joshua talks
Dana
White isn’t interested in getting dragged into the latest round
of Tyson
Fury-Anthony
Joshua negotiations and has little patience for Eddie Hearn's
comments.

Reports recently surfaced claiming Fury and Joshua have agreed to
meet Nov. 20 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. When asked
about the reported date and venue, the
Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO offered a noncommittal
response before turning his attention to Hearn.

UFC CEO Dana White brushes off Eddie Hearn during Tyson
Fury-Anthony Joshua negotiations

Speaking after
Week 2 of
Dana White's Contender Series 2026, White responded to reports
of Joshua-Fury negotiations and recent comments from Hearn.

White was asked about reports that Hearn still wants the fight
staged in the United Kingdom and had raised the possibility of
legal action if Joshua were booked without a contractual agreement.
The UFC boss said he has largely stopped paying attention to
Hearn’s public comments.

“I stopped listening to Eddie Hearn about three months ago,†White
said. “Is there anybody more full of sh*t than this guy? Come
on.â€

The exchange came after White was asked whether he was involved in
an expected announcement next week regarding the heavyweight
showdown.

“I don’t know. You might want to ask the promoters of the fight,â€
White said before adding, “I’m not going to play these games with
these f*cking guys. You know what I mean? Let’s see what
happens.â€

Continue Reading

MMA

Kaik Brito had one more trick saved for Dana White, and it was brutal

Published

on

Kaik Brito had one more trick saved for Dana White, and it was brutal
Kaik
Brito had some tricks up his sleeve in his fight against
Namo
Fazil.

Brito (20-6) took on a surging Fazil in a welterweight matchup in
the main event of
Week 2 of
Dana White's Contender Series 2026. While Brito looked
dangerous early in the fight, Fazil's pressure put him on the back
foot as the bout progressed.

However, Brito shut Fazil's lights off with a vicious right hand
early in the third round to earn an
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. He notably planned to
pull off the finish right in front of UFC CEO Dana
White.

Kaik Brito details Namo Fazil knockout that secured UFC
contract

Brito knows that it looked like he was leaving everything in the
Octagon in the back-and-forth bout. However, the Brazilian claims
he was waiting for the right moment.

In the final round, when his back was against the cage, Brito
noticed he was fighting close to White. That's when he decided to
launch the missile of a right hand that flattened Fazil. He also
says he is ready to make his UFC debut as soon as possible.

“I move different,†Brito said in the post-fight interview. “I cut
angles in a completely different way. And throughout the fight, it
looked like I was going for it all. Believe me, I was saving some
things; I knew I was gonna need it at the end. And I saw Dana right
there, I thought, ‘I'm gonna do this right in front of the boss.
He's gonna see it.' I'm gonna be ready… I want to fight as soon as
possible.â€

Brito came up short against Oban
Elliott in his first DWCS opportunity in 2023. He then went 3-1
on the regional circuit, finishing all of those wins to earn
another shot at a UFC contract.

Continue Reading

MMA

Trent Miller earns UFC deal with rare DWCS shoulder choke

Published

on

Trent Miller earns UFC deal with rare DWCS shoulder choke
Trent
Miller earned an
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract with the first Von Flue
(shoulder) choke submission win of his career.

Miller (10-3) was a massive +280 underdog going into his
middleweight matchup against Douglas
Henrique Rodrigues on
Week 2 of
Dana White's Contender Series Season 10. Miller controlled
Rodrigues on the ground in the first round before putting him to
sleep with a Von Flue choke in the second frame.

Trent Miller earns UFC deal with historic DWCS submission

Miller was awarded a UFC contract after securing the second-ever
Von Flue choke in DWCS history. “The Terminator†also revealed it
was the first time that he finished with a Von Flue choke in his
career.

“He hits hard; he has good striking,†Miller said in his post-fight
interview. “I'm definitely feeling him, my lips a little busted
open. But so thankful for the win. I knew in the first round, once
I got on top of him, I controlled. So that was the plan: second
round, get back on top, I felt the choke was there and I went for
it. I've never actually got it in a fight.â€

Miller had suffered a stoppage loss against Ryan Gandra
in his first Contender Series opportunity last year. The
30-year-old says it was the worst performance of his career and is
glad to have proven his doubters wrong.

“Last year's Contender Series, I had my worst performance of my
life, essentially,†he added. “I had so many doubters, so many
haters come at me. For me to be able to shut them up like that,
it's amazing.â€

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending