Magomed Ankalaev seemingly had a broken rib just weeks ahead of his title defense against Alex Pereira.
Ankalaev put his light heavyweight title on the line in a rematch against Pereira in the main event at UFC 320 last Saturday in Las Vegas. Despite being a sizeable favorite, Ankalaev was put on the back foot, dropped, and finished by Pereira in just 80 seconds.
Ankalaev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, subsequently hinted that the Russian was not in his best shape going into the fight. A video posted by Leo Guimaraes on social media has since emerged showing Anakalev undergoing treatment for a broken rib just 20 days ahead of his fight against “Poatan.