Magomed Ankalaev Addresses Ramadan Sacrifices and Responds to Alex Pereira’s Challenge

Magomed Ankalaev

Magomed Ankalaev is no stranger to challenges, but his upcoming fight at UFC 313 against Alex Pereira on March 8 comes with an additional layer of complexity—Ramadan. As a devout Muslim, Ankalaev has had to balance his religious obligations with the physical demands of a title fight.

Ramadan, observed by Muslims worldwide, requires fasting from dawn until sunset, meaning no food or water during daylight hours. While this didn’t impact Ankalaev’s training camp, which was completed before the holy month began, the light heavyweight contender admits he had to make some adjustments for fight week.

“If we’re talking about the training or the training camp, the preparation, that was done before Ramadan,” Ankalaev stated during the UFC 313 media day. “So there was no issues with that. The only thing that we had to change is because the week of the fight is Ramadan, what I had to do was I had to break a couple of fasting sessions because I have to drink a lot of water in order for me to be able to make the weight. Other than that, everything is the same.”

Pereira has been vocal about Ankalaev’s adherence to fasting, even going as far as commenting on food deliveries to his room. Ankalaev, however, sees this as a sign that his opponent might be more concerned about him than he’s letting on.

“He’s obviously really worried about me and what I’m doing,” Ankalaev remarked. “He seems to be nervous. He’s following all these things. Like what can I say? I’ll tell you again. I had to break the fast a couple of times because there’s something I need to do in order to make the weight and in order to be prepared. He seems to be way too concerned with that.”

Ankalaev even had a humorous response to Pereira’s obsession with his meals, stating,

“Even if he goes to a fridge right now and he opens the food, he’ll see that there’s food with my name on it, the UFC food that was given to me. If he wants it, he can take it.”

Another major talking point has been Pereira’s proposed wager—a $200,000 bet to a charity chosen by the winner. However, Ankalaev quickly dismissed the idea, citing Islamic principles that prohibit gambling.

“We were really clear about it online, we said as Muslims we cannot do bets,” Ankalaev explained. “That’s not something that we support or that we look to do. However, if he wants to do something, any kind of charity or anything that he wants to do, we have the means to do it and I’d be happy to partake in that.”

As fight night approaches, Ankalaev remains focused on the challenge ahead. While Pereira has been making headlines with his comments, the Russian fighter is determined to let his performance speak for itself. Whether or not his opponent is distracted by outside activities, Ankalaev has made it clear that he is fully prepared for battle.