Magomed Ankalaev knew that accepting a title fight with Alex Pereira at UFC 313 on March 8 would require sacrifices as the date will be a week in Ramadan.
The holy moon observed by Muslims around the world must fast from dawn until sunset. Avoid all food and water during the day. Although that didn’t affect his preparations, Ankaraev admits that he was forced to break the fast as he is ready to cut to 205 pounds on Friday for a fight with Pereira on Saturday.
“If you’re talking about training or training camps or preparations that took place before Ramadan,” Ankarayev said on UFC 313 Media Day on Wednesday. “So there was no problem with that. The only thing we had to change is that, as the week of battle is Ramadan, what I had to do was that I had to break some fasting sessions because I had to drink a lot of water to make the weight. Other than that, everything is the same.”
Of course, Ankaraev also hears chirp about Pereira being delivered to his room, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Russians actually ate anything while observing the rules of fasting in Ramadan.
On his part, Ankaraev can’t help but wonder if Pereira is already showing his hand by making all these comments that are less important to him a few days away from their fight.
“He obviously is really worried about me and what I’m doing,” Ankaraev said. “He seems nervous. He follows all of this. What can you say? Let me tell you again. I had to break the fast a few times because there is something I need to make weight and prepare. He seems too interested in it.
“Even if he goes to the fridge now and opens the food, he will see that there is food with my name, UFC food given to me. If he wants it, he can take it.”
Beyond his jab about Ankaraev observing the rules of Ramadan, Pereira recently proposed a bet between them on a fight in which the loser pays $200,000 to the winner’s choice charity.
You’re so sure you’ll win $200,000 to win. Winning or losing this will help those in need. It’s in your hands @aliabdelaziz00 @ankalaevim
– Alex “Poatan” Pereira (@alexpereiraufc) March 3, 2025
As for observing Ramadan, for all the ways in which Pereira appears to know the inside and outside, Pereira cannot remind him without reminding him that another doctrine of Islam is not permitted to gamble.
That is why Ankaraev straightly proposed a donation to charity instead, instead, instead attaching any bets as a condition for repaying his favor.
“We were really clear about it online. We said we can’t bets as Muslims,” Ankarayev said. “That’s not something we support or we want to do, but if he wants to do something, if he wants to do any kind of charity, or what he wants to do, we have the means to do that, so I’d like to join in it.”
Part of Pereira’s decision to chase Ankaraev about how he practices his religion could return to concerns about the light heavyweight champion that Russia could lose focus ahead of Saturday’s showdown.
With a title defense a few weeks away, Pereira traveled to Australia, travelled Sean Strickland to corner, and in his battle with Doricus du Plessis, not to mention spending a few nights instead of doing other business while he was abroad and spending extra time at the gym.
Pereira may have considered past comments as small a few comments, but Ankaraev has promised that it is not.
“We weren’t trying to make it personal or anything,” Ankarayev said. “We were saying he was worried that he was like everywhere, all these UFC events and so on.
“Maybe he should have taken it because we were worried that he would spend time doing something rather than preparing for a fight. Whichever way he took it, it’s up to him. It’s not going to help him or make it worse.”
