Magomed Ankalaev was a sliver away from becoming Russia’s first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight champion.
UFC 282 ended about as controversially as it possibly could have with two head-scratching decisions. Following a unanimous judges’ call in favor of Paddy Pimblett over Jared Gordon in the evening’s co-main event, Ankalaev battled Jan Blachowicz for vacant UFC 205-pound gold.
Coming on strong late after some mid-round adversity, Ankalaev imposed his wrestling game to secure rounds and seemingly steal the victory. Instead, the judges felt the fight was even, scoring it a split draw.
“We did everything we could,” Ankalaev told Dagestan News (h/t Red Corner MMA). “The fight turned out the way it did. Not too noteworthy. We earned the victory, but the judges decided not to give it to us and made it a draw.
“I feel like I did everything to get the victory, but the judges made their decision and there’s nothing you can do,” he concluded.
Ankalaev and Blachowicz didn’t impress UFC President, Dana White, who voiced his thoughts in the immediate aftermath of the fight. Therefore, the boss whipped up a surprise Glover Teixeira versus Jamahal Hill pairing for the vacant title one month later (Jan. 21, 2023) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Ankalaev isn’t resting or feeling down about the result and is using it as fuel. Considering things were less than ideal in preparation, the top contender did a better job than maybe he should have against the former champion, Blachowicz.
“I had the worst training camp of my life coming into that fight,” Ankalaev said. “I had a lot of injuries, but nevertheless we agreed to fight. I think we did enough to get my hand raised.
“I’m more motivated to prove myself now,” he added. “Soon we’ll take that belt. I’ll take a couple weeks for myself, I have some minor injuries. I’ll take care of that then it’s go time.”