Magomed Ankalaev is ready to break through the “standard” – Sport – Kommersant

Russian mixed martial arts fighter Magomed Ankalaev already on December 10 can win the UFC champion title – the main promotion in mixed martial arts (MMA) – in light heavyweight (up to 93 kg). Pole Jan Blachowicz, who is a real MMA star, will become the rival of 30-year-old Ankalaev. However, Ankalaev is sure that there is nothing special about him, since he is a “standard fighter”.

Magomed Ankalaev probably did not expect to get a championship fight this year, but fate decreed otherwise. According to the original plan, the Russian at the UFC 282 tournament, which will be held on Saturday in Las Vegas, was supposed to fight in the co-main event of the evening against Jan Blachowicz. The key event of the show was supposed to be the meeting between the reigning world light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka and the number one UFC rating Glover Teixeira. But Prochaska injured his shoulder in training.

According to UFC head Dana White, someone from the fighter’s entourage right in the hall set Prochazka’s shoulder, but in the end, according to White, “they completely destroyed him,” only exacerbating the injury.

The treatment and recovery of Prochazka, according to preliminary data, took a year (later, the recovery time was reduced to seven months), and then the Czech decided to voluntarily give up the title.

To save the main event of the evening, the UFC offered Teixeira to fight Ankalaev. He refused, noting that he needed additional time to prepare for the fight against the Russian. But the Brazilian was ready to go against Blachowicz. However, this option did not suit the UFC. The organization recalled that Teixeira had already met with Blachowicz (then the Brazilian won the champion title, which he lost to Prochazka in the next fight) and they don’t need another battle of veterans. Teixeira is already 43 years old, and Blachowicz will turn 40 in February.

So the only option left was to turn the co-main fight of the evening Ankalaev-Blahovich into the main one and put the vacant champion title on the line.

The favorite in the confrontation between Ankalaev and Blakhovitch, despite the star status of the latter, is the Russian fighter. Bwin quotes Ankalaev at 1.36 vs. 3.20 for the Pole. Perhaps the fact is that Ankalaev is nine years younger than his opponent. Or in the fact that he perfectly masters not only wrestling technique, but, like Blakhovitch, percussion and even prefers it, which is not entirely typical for a native of Dagestan.

One way or another, the Russian scored most of his career victories by knockouts. But the chokeholds that worked so well, for example, for Khabib Nurmagomedov, brought him victory only once. In total, Ankalaev’s track record has 18 victories with one defeat. True, it was in the UFC that he spent only ten fights. Moreover, in the very first, which took place back in 2018, he just lost: Ankalaev, leading on the judges’ cards, managed to get into the choke “triangle” of the Scot Paul Craig in the final second of the match. But he did not allow more misfires, and a series of nine victories in a row, as Blachowicz noted, says a lot.

Moreover, Ankalaev fights without big pauses. In the last 12 months alone, he has crossed paths with three opponents, all of whom have won championship titles in their time.

He defeated Swiss Volkan Ozdemir and Brazilian Thiago Santos on points, and knocked out American Anthony Smith in July in the second round.

As for Jan Blachowicz, despite his veteran status, he is an extremely dangerous opponent. Over the years spent in MMA, the Pole has turned into a universal fighter with virtually no weaknesses. Yes, and he reached the peak of his career already at a veteran age – in 2020, Blachowicz won the UFC champion title, having dealt with American Dominick Reyes, and then defended him by defeating New Zealander Israel Adesanya.

However, Ankalaev seems confident in his victory. “I have a lot of shortcomings, but it’s unlikely that Jan Blachowicz can analyze my weak points, because he is a standard fighter. He has a strong blow, but I don’t think he can give me problems in battle,” Ankalaev told the portal. Meta MMA.- This is my road and my dream. Nothing worries me, I’m ready for the fight, I want this belt, so just go ahead.

Alexander Petrov