"This is not a lie" - Daniel Cormier gets 100% real on Magomed Ankalaev fighting Alex Pereira at UFC 320 with rib injury

Daniel Cormier recently shared his two cents on Magomed Ankalaev fighting Alex Pereira while carrying an injury at UFC 320 last weekend. Cormier confirmed that Ankalaev was indeed hurt going into the fight and dismissed the notion that the Dagestani-born fighter was making excuses.

After beating Pereira via unanimous decision in their first encounter at UFC 313 in March and winning the light heavyweight title, Ankalaev suffered a brutal first-round knockout loss in their title rematch at UFC 320 last weekend.

In the aftermath, reports strongly suggested that Ankalaev was dealing with a rib injury going into the fight and seemingly refused to withdraw from the event despite many within his team urging him to do so.

In a recent video, Cormier confirmed that Ankalaev was injured and that it wasn't an excuse for his loss. He said:

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"First off, let's talk about the injury right away. Magomed Ankalaev did have a rib injury. This is not a lie, this is not an excuse. Prior to the fight, I saw a video of him getting injections into his rib to try to help him get to the fight. He was able to hit pads and do cardio for a month and a half before the fight. With that being said, I don't know if the result would've changed if he were healthy because of the way Pereira fought. I know some people very close to Magomed Ankalaev that [urged] him not to fight. He wanted to fight. He wanted to go out there and beat Pereira again."

Demetrious Johnson reacts to Alex Pereira's knockout victory over Magomed Ankalaev

Demetrious Johnson was following the Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev rematch closely and shared his live reaction to the Brazilian's incredible knockout victory during a stream.

In a live YouTube watch-along video (via @Home_of_Fight on X), Johnson pointed out that Pereira should have prepared for their first fight in a similar manner and said:

"Take your time. Find your shots... Damn! That's all he had to do, guys. That's all he had to do the first time they fought. Like, I think a lot of people don't understand [that] when you force the fight to fight somebody, you just fight them and you see what happens. You see what unravels, right? But I truly felt that when he does that to people, they can't do anything."

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