Dana White reacts to Alex Pereira title win
UFC CEO Dana White spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at the UFC 320 post-fight press conference and talked Alex Pereira’s title win
It appears Magomed Ankalaev entered his UFC 320 title rematch against Alex Pereira with a significant injury.
The main event of UFC 320 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas ended in just 80 seconds, as Pereira (13-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) rocked Ankalaev (21-2-1 MMA, 12-2-1 UFC) with a big overhand right, and then finished the fight with heavy ground and pound to reclaim the light heavyweight title.
Brazilian journalist Leo Guimaraes shared videos of Ankalaev receiving treatment on his ribs, 20 days prior to the fight. The now-former champion was reportedly dealing with broken ribs and refused to pull out of the fight, despite wishes from some members of his team. Ankalaev competed for only 80 seconds, and even took a couple of hard elbows to the treated injured area.
Ankalaev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, posted a lengthy message following the fight, suggesting Ankalaev should have pulled out of the fight, but did not specify why.
“There’s a lot of things happened with Ankalaev in his camp,” Abdelaziz wrote on Instagram. “But, it’s for him to talk about. Not me. And if I need to talk about it, I will talk about it. If it was up to me, he should never have fought due to some things. But he’s a grown man, he makes his own decisions, and he lives by his actions.”
On Wednesday, UFC Hall of Famer and commentator Daniel Cormier confirmed the reports in a video on his YouTube channel.
“Magomed Ankalaev did have a rib injury,” Cormier said. “This is not a lie, this is not an excuse. I know this because prior to the fight, I saw 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.”
Ankalaev also posted a message after losing his title, but made no mention of an injury. While Ankalaev entered the fight with an existing injury, his opponent, Pereira, exited with a new one. A kick from “Poatan” to the lead leg of Ankalaev resulted in an injury to the foot, leading Pereira to believe he broke a bone. Pereira appeared at the UFC 320 post-fight press conference in a walking boot.
