The heavyweight and light heavyweight athletes are some of the scariest fighters in UFC history. Magomed Ankalaev is regarded as one of the most dangerous light heavyweights in the world. What happens when he goes against a heavyweight like Francis Ngannou? Well, the Dagestani faced the โPredatorโ in a sparring contest.
Francis Ngannou left UFC due to his dispute with Dana White and the promotion regarding his fight purse. However, during his reign, the โPredatorโ was a force of nature and destroyed everybody who came in front of him. During a recent interview, Magomed Ankalaev shared his story of sparring against the former UFC heavyweight champion.ย
I saw that [Ngannou] wanted to drop me. He was generally aggressive. I quickly went to his feet, put him down and held him. I was waiting for the time to run out so I could say ‘don’t come near me again.ย
Magomed Ankalaev via Aslanbek Badaevโs YouTube channel
Francis Ngannou is well known for his nasty knockout power. During his time in UFC, he has dropped some big names such as Alistair Overeem, Cain Velasquez, Stipe Miocic, etc. On the other hand, Ankalaev has a striking and excellent wrestling base in the light heavyweight division.ย
Magomed Ankalaev talks about an incident he had while sparring Francis Ngannou ๐ณ
“I saw that [Ngannou] wanted to drop me. He was generally aggressive. I quickly went to his feet, put him down and held him. I was waiting for the time to run out so I could say ‘don’t come near meโฆ pic.twitter.com/4g1QSxgYNa
โ Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 17, 2024
Ngannou has shown his takedown defense against Stipe Miocic in the rematch. However, it might have been possible for Ankalaev to take down the French-Cameroonian. Ngannou has not responded to Ankalaevโs version of the story. Nevertheless, Ankalaev looks forward to using all his skills to take out the next challenge.ย
Magomed Ankalaev wants to destroy Alex Pereira and take home the light heavyweight title
Magomed Ankalaev is currently desperate to get his light heavyweight title shot. The Dagestani fighter has frequently challenged Alex Pereira for a potential fight through various social media posts. Ankalaev has promised fans to knock out the Brazilian and stop his dominant reign. Alex Pereira is not a fan of Ankalaevโs antics and has warned him about the consequences.ย
Magomed Ankalaev talks about stopping Alex Pereira (via X)
However, Magomed Ankalaev is in no mood to stop and believes that he can definitely beat Pereira. The Dagestani fighter has even claimed that he doesnโt need his takedowns to stop Pereira and will face the power of โPoatanโ head-on. According to Ankalaev, Pereira isnโt skilled enough to compete with him for multiple rounds.
Many experts understand that I can easily beat Pereira… I think with his speed he won’t touch me at all. The most he can do is hit me with a low kick…I want to beat him up. I just want to attack him, just show him that I’m better than him.
Magomed Ankalaev via Aslanbek Badaevโs YouTube channelย
Magomed Ankalaev says Alex Pereira won’t be able to touch him in their fight ๐ณ
“Many experts understand that I can easily beat Pereiraโฆ I think with his speed he won’t touch me at all. The most he can do is hit me with a low kickโฆ
I want to beat him up. I just want toโฆ pic.twitter.com/6uG2aim2zW
โ Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 16, 2024
Ankalaev is trying his best to land a title shot against Pereira. Rumors also suggest the champ is currently eyeing his heavyweight debut against Jon Jones. On top of that, โPoatanโ was also asked to explore boxing by heavyweight Anthony Joshua. Nevertheless, everything will depend upon what the UFC decides for Alex Pereiraโs future.ย
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