"He should never have fought this time" - Ali Abdelaziz hints at something wrong with Magomed Ankalaev going into UFC 320

Ali Abdelaziz talks about Magomed Ankalaev
Ali Abdelaziz talks about Magomed Ankalaev's defeat. [Image courtesy: Getty]

Ali Abdelaziz recently opened up about Magomed Ankalaev's defeat at UFC 320, hinting at some concerns with the Dagestani fighter prior to entering the octagon.

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Ankalaev made his first light heavyweight title defense in a rematch against Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 320 on Saturday. The 33-year-old was optimistic about his chances since he was coming off an impressive performance earlier this year at UFC 313, where he dethroned Pereira via unanimous decision. However, 'Poatan' was quick to reclaim his belt by delivering vicious ground-and-pound strikes in the first round.

In response to Ankalaev's title loss, Abdelaziz issued a lengthy statement in a now-deleted social media post. Championship Rounds shared the MMA manager's remarks on X, which stated:

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''Saturday night, Magomed Ankalaev fought Alex Pereira. In the rematch, and Alex Pereira won. Congratulations to him and his team. I know his coaches, managers, and always show them respect. I don’t know Alex personally. But, I am Team Magomed Ankalaev. Whatever I can do to help him, I will do it. As long as I don’t insult someone’s family, religion, or his nation. Everything Muhammad Ankalaev said on his social media, he approved it. And if I did help him, it was his knowledge.''
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He added:

''But, in reality, this is not about me and Alex. This is about Magomed Ankalaev and Alex. Alex was the best man on Saturday night. And we take our losses like men....But, all along, I thought Magomed Ankalaev will beat him. And he already beat him once. And I believe, if they fight again, Magomed Ankalaev will beat him. There’s a lot of things happened with Ankalaev in his camp...If it was up to me, he should never have fought this time. But he's a grown man, he makes his own decisions, and he lives by his actions. But for now, this is all I have to say. Congratulations to Alex and his team. Life goes on.''
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Check out Ali Abdelaziz's comments below:

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Magomed Ankalaev releases statement after title loss at UFC 320

Magomed Ankalaev suffered a first-round knockout defeat against Alex Pereira at UFC 320.

In a recent Instagram post, Ankalaev offered his thoughts:

''If Allah tested me with defeat, then He wants to toughen me. I bow to His will, but not to difficulties. To those who stayed - thank you. To those who turned out, thank you too. After all, Allah clears the way not only of weakness, but also of unnecessary people''

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Edited by Swagat Kumar Jena
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