Magomed
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an injury and has been replaced by Bogdan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

Dana
White told the story behind UFC's failed negotiations with Fedor
Emelianenko. | 📷: Bellator MMA

---

Dana
White doesn't regret Fedor
Emelianenko’s failed move to the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Emelianenko is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time
who never fought in the UFC. White recently revealed that he wanted
to make a fight between the Russian and Brock
Lesnar. However, they failed to sign Emelianenko despite
offering him a lot of money.

Dana White discusses the failed UFC negotiations with
heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko

White claims that the offer was so massive that he and Lorenzo
Fertitta were relieved that Emelianenko turned them down. The UFC
head honcho doesn't regret the failed negotiations.

“We never got a deal done with Fedor,†White said on “The Pivot”
podcast.

“When me and Lorenzo got on the plane and left wherever we were, we
looked at each other and said, ‘Thank God they said no,' because we
offered him so much money. You get in that room and you just try to
get that deal done… We wanted to do him vs. Brock Lesnar at the
time. I don't regret it.â€

When the UFC acquired
Pride in 2007, Emelianenko was the one megastar that didn't
sign with the promotion. While “The Last Emperor” fought in
Strikeforce,
he moved on when the UFC bought the promotion in 2011. Emelianenko
finished the last stretch of his career in Bellator,
hanging up his gloves following a knockout loss to Ryan Bader in
2023.

Demian Maia detailed Ian Garry's adaptability before UFC 330. |
📷: Marcelo Alonso/Sherdog

---

Demian
Maia believes Ian Garry is
equipped to upset Islam
Makhachev.

Garry (17-1) is scheduled to challenge Makhachev (28-1) for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title in the main
event of UFC
330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Maia
recently discussed Garry's preparation and dissected the
matchup.

Ian Garry prepares for Islam Makhachev with help from Demian
Maia ahead of UFC 330

Maia has been a crucial part of Garry's fight camps since they
first met at a seminar in Barcelona in 2023 and the jiu-jitsu
legend recently revealed that he helped Garry in Spain before the
Irishman went back to England to finish the final phase of his camp
for UFC 330.

“Our partnership started in 2023,†Maia told Sherdog's Marcelo
Alonso. “I went to teach a seminar at a friend’s academy in
Barcelona, and Ian and his wife reached out to me. He came to train
with me, and ever since then he’s been coming to Brazil regularly.
Last week I traveled to Spain to teach another seminar, and we
spent several days together doing an intensive camp focused on what
we believe he needs to do in the grappling exchanges against Islam.
He finished the final stage of his camp in England with his
jiu-jitsu coach, John
Hathaway, who also fought in the UFC in our weight class.â€

Makhachev is the No. 1 pound-for-pound UFC fighter and a -300
favorite going into his clash against Garry. However, many believe
Garry's frame and defensive savviness will pose a threat to
Makhachev's dominant run. Notably, Maia doesn't think Garry's
distance management is his biggest strength.

Ian Garry's fight IQ highlighted ahead of UFC 330 title fight
with Islam Makhachev

According to Maia, Garry's fight IQ separates him from other
fighters. The Brazilian claims to have taught the Irish
welterweight a takedown variation during the fight week of his win
against Carlos
Prates last year, which “The Future” executed 10 times in the
bout.

“Some people say he’s the toughest matchup for Islam because he has
excellent takedown defense, longer reach, outstanding cardio, and
he’s a complete fighter, but I think his biggest strength is his
fight IQ,†Maia added. “Garry reads his opponents extremely well
and knows how to adapt. When he fought Carlos Prates, I showed him
a variation of a takedown during fight week, and he executed it
perfectly about 10 times during the fight. He’s someone who learns
very quickly and knows how to make life difficult for his
opponents.â€

Despite his confidence in Garry's skillset, Maia isn't
underestimating the challenge that Makhachev poses. He believes the
Dagestani welterweight champion could stand his own against elite
opponents in no-gi jiu jitsu.

“I expect a very tough fight. Islam is one of the greatest fighters
of all time. His jiu-jitsu is of an extremely high level. I’d even
say he could compete successfully in elite no-gi Brazilian
jiu-jitsu tournaments. So, it’s going to be a historical title
dispute.â€

Maia also confirmed that he will be in Garry’s corner on fight
night alongside Diego Lima, John Hathaway and Paulo Mauricio
Strauch.