Former UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev was fighting at far less than 100 percent during his loss against Alex Pereira at UFC 320.
Following his shocking loss with Pereira scoring a first-round finish just 80 seconds into the fight, Ankalaev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, didn’t give any details but said the Russian “should never have fought” based on issues he was dealing with before the event. On Monday, it was revealed that Ankalaev reportedly suffered a broken rib in training that left him severely compromised heading into the fight.
Sources speaking anonymously to MMA Fighting on Monday confirmed the injury while adding that despite spending more than a month in Las Vegas to prepare for his fight, he was barely able to spar, and some of those sessions ended early because he was in so much pain.
For his part, Ankalaev issued a statement after his loss but didn’t reference any injuries or issues that hampered him leading into the Pereira rematch.
It’s an unfortunate ending for Ankalaev after he defeated Pereira to become champion, and he was seeking the first defense of his title at UFC 320.
Instead, Ankalaev was overwhelmed from the start of the fight, with Pereira immediately swarming him with punches, leading to an ill-fated takedown attempt. Pereira stuffed Ankalaev’s shot and began raining down punches and elbows from the top.
The barrage continued until referee Herb Dean saw enough and stopped the contest just 1:20 into the opening round.
Pereira was crowned light heavyweight champion for a second time, while Ankalaev was forced to regroup following a tough night at the office.
Pereira and Ankalaev are now tied 1-1 in their series, but it remains to be seen if the UFC is interested in potentially booking a trilogy now or later based on the results of what unfolded this past Saturday night.
For now, Ankalaev likely needs time to heal from his injury before contemplating the next move in his career.
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