Magomed Ankalaev knew accepting a title struggle in opposition to Alex Pereira at UFC 313 on March 8 was going to require some sacrifices as a result of the date falls one week into Ramadan.
The holy month noticed by Muslims throughout the globe requires fasting from daybreak till sundown — avoiding all meals and water throughout daylight. Whereas none of that affected his preparation preparing for the struggle, Ankalaev admits he’s been pressured to interrupt the quick as he will get prepared to chop right down to 205 kilos on Friday for his struggle in opposition to Pereira on Saturday.
“If we’re speaking concerning the coaching or the coaching camp, the preparation, that was achieved earlier than Ramadan,” Ankalaev mentioned throughout UFC 313 media day on Wednesday. “So there was no points with that. The one factor that we needed to change is as a result of the week of the struggle is Ramadan, what I needed to do was I needed to break a few fasting periods as a result of I’ve to drink numerous water to ensure that me to have the ability to make the burden. Aside from that, every little thing is similar.”
After all, Ankalaev has additionally heard Pereira chirping about meals being delivered to his room, though that didn’t essentially imply the Russian really ate something whereas he was observing the fasting guidelines for Ramadan.
For his half, Ankalaev can’t assist however marvel if Pereira is already exhibiting his hand by making all these feedback that actually shouldn’t matter a lot to him simply days away from their struggle.
“He’s clearly actually apprehensive about me and what I’m doing,” Ankalaev mentioned. “He appears to be nervous. He’s following all these items. Like what can I say? I’ll let you know once more. I needed to break the quick a few instances as a result of there’s one thing I must do with a view to make the burden and with a view to be ready. He appears to be means too involved with that.
“Even when he goes to a fridge proper now and he opens the meals, he’ll see that there’s meals with my identify on it, the UFC meals that was given to me. If he needs it, he can take it.”
Past his jabs about Ankalaev observing the foundations of Ramadan, Pereira additionally just lately urged a wager between them concerning the struggle the place the loser would pay $200,000 to a charity of the winner’s selection.
Since you might be so assured you’ll win, $200,000 to the winners charity of selection. Win or lose this can assist these in want. It’s in your fingers @AliAbdelaziz00 @AnkalaevM
— Alex “Poatan” Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) March 3, 2025
For all of the methods Pereira appears to know the ins and outs with regards to observing Ramadan, Pereira can’t assist however remind him that one other tenet of Islam is that Muslims aren’t allowed to gamble.
That’s why Ankalaev urged simply straight up donating to charity as a substitute moderately than attaching some guess as a situation for giving again.
“We had been actually clear about it on-line, we mentioned as Muslims we can not do bets,” Ankalaev mentioned. “That’s not one thing that we help or that we glance to do. Nonetheless, if he needs to do one thing, any type of charity or something that he needs to do, we have now the means to do it and I’d be comfortable to partake in that.”
A part of Pereira’s choice to go after Ankalaev relating to the way in which he practices his faith may come again to some issues the Russian had concerning the mild heavyweight champion probably shedding focus forward of their showdown on Saturday.
Along with his title protection simply weeks away, Pereira traveled to Australia to nook Sean Strickland in his struggle in opposition to Dricus du Plessis to not point out conducting different enterprise whereas he was abroad in addition to spending just a few nights out moderately than additional time within the fitness center.
Whereas Pereira could have taken previous feedback as a slight, Ankalaev guarantees that’s not the case and if something, he was really simply exhibiting concern for the UFC mild heavyweight champion.
“We weren’t attempting to make it private or something,” Ankalaev mentioned. “We had been simply saying possibly we had been apprehensive about him that he’s type of far and wide, all these completely different UFC occasions and stuff like that.
“Perhaps he ought to have taken it as us worrying about him spending time doing one thing moderately than being ready for the struggle. Whichever means he took it, it’s as much as him. It’s not going to assist him or make it worse.”
