Russian light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev will fight Brazilian Johnny Walker for the second time on the night of January 14th at UFC Vegas 84. Their first fight was declared a no contest due to a medical error. Magomed kneed Johnny to the head when that action was prohibited. The fight was stopped and the doctor asked Johnny where he was, to make sure the fighter could keep going. The Brazilian jokingly replied that he was "in a desert," but the doctor did not appreciate the joke and recommended that the referee stop the fight. By the way, the fight took place in Abu Dhabi.
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In an exclusive interview with marvelbetgames.com Ankalaev:
- recalled the details of their first fight;
- said how he plans to finish the second meeting;
- assessed the level of light heavyweight fighters in the UFC;
- responded to Salimgerey Rasulov's advice;
- talked about a possible move down to middleweight;
- marked the growth of the ACA promotion.
"This year I will win the UFC belt"
– Magomed, do you plan to get the belt in 2024?
– I had that plan in 2023. It fell apart because of the fights and the injuries. The year 2024 starts well: no injuries, a fight at the beginning of the year, I'm in a good place. I think this year we will win the belt, I have been working for it for so long.
– You asked for a second fight with Walker as soon as possible. Are you happy with the timing of the fight?
– Yes, I wanted to fight immediately. You can't always get what you want, though. We had to hear the opponent's answer first. So we waited. I wanted to fight in the nearest tournaments, but we decided to postpone the fight until next year, and I had to agree.
– What made you, an experienced athlete, kick your opponent with your knee in your first fight?
It was not an intentional kick. I consider myself a clean fighter, I have never sullied my name before. It was an accident. I had Walker pushed into the net and I wanted him to get up and knee him when he would. But he didn't get up and I hit him.
– Everyone in Russia is confident that you will win - does that make you more relaxed or does it bother you?
– It energizes me. I haven't paid attention to it lately because people's opinions change all the time. My own prediction does not change because I have been working towards my goal for a long time. In any case, the trust of my fans makes me even more motivated.
"I can raise the Russian flag with pride"
– Will you fight with the Russian flag?
– I don't usually walk out with a flag. But if they give me this opportunity, why not? This is my country. I can raise the flag with pride.
– Salimgerei Rasulov advised you to give a boot to some fighter after you beat Johnny Walker. He thinks that if you do it for the show, you will get a title shot. What do you think about that?
– I have to refuse that kind of advice because I am a decent person. I can't do that. Slapping somebody on the back of the head or kicking somebody is a no-no. I have my own way, I do my work in the cage. I've already earned the title shot. I'll get it soon.
– You promised to do something "loud". Is it about the fight?
– Yes, it is. My future fights will be different. I used to want to gain experience and try to spend more time in the cage. Now everything has changed. I have already spent a lot of time fighting, I can rely on my skills. I can wrestle and I can punch. I will try to finish my fights as soon as possible.
– Last week, Dana White said that you have to win in a dominant manner if you want to achieve your championship aspirations. What do those words mean to you?
– Yeah, I think he will be happy with my performance. And a championship fight will be within reach.
– Did the fights of Alex Pereira, Jiri Prochazka and others look like championship fights to you?
– If we look at their fight, we can see that Prochazka is a puncher, an attacking type. I said that if the fight goes to the end, Jiri has a better chance to win and Pereira has more chances to get an early win. That was to be expected. But these guys have a problem with wrestling. We will prove it in time.
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"ACA promotion has good fights"
– Does your health allow you to fight in the middleweight division?
– It's difficult now because I've gained weight and I weigh 103 kilos. But if it's necessary I can go to middleweight. It doesn't make sense at the moment.
– Mairbek Khasiev wanted to break the back of the UFC, and last year his organization ACA held a lot of cool tournaments. Did the UFC feel the pressure?
– The latest fights were really good. Especially the meeting between Ustarmagomed Gadzhidaudov and Albert Tumenov. It was a crazy fight, a knockout, a lot of blood. It was a very good fight. All in all, some fights are better there, some are better here. It is very hard to judge.
– Can Tumenov win a rematch with Edwards?
– Anything is possible. It depends on their attitude.
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