Poatan attacks Ankalaev. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC
Magomed Ankalaev was not in his best condition to face Alex Poatan at UFC 320, according to his manager, Ali Abdelaziz. The Dagestani fighter was knocked out by the Brazilian in just 80 seconds, but, according to Abdelaziz, an injury that limited his training was a determining factor in his below-par performance.
In an interview with 'Submission Radio', Abdelaziz revealed that Ankalaev spent almost 40 days without training due to a rib injury suffered while still in Dagestan. Because of the injury, the athlete was unable to do sparring, wrestling, or grappling training throughout the entire preparation.
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“Ankalaev didn’t train for almost 40 days for this fight. He came back from Dagestan with bruised ribs, and we had to stop sparring every time… He didn’t do any grappling or wrestling training,” said Ali Abdelaziz.
Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Poatan had previously faced each other at UFC 313 , held in March 2025. On that occasion, the Russian dominated the fight and won by unanimous decision.
Check out the details of the injury suffered by Magomed Ankalaev before facing Alex Poatan.
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