Magomed Ankalaev Clarifies Post-Fight Interview Remarks Regarding UFC

In the immediate aftermath of the split draw in the UFC 282 headliner, it sounded as though Magomed Ankalaev was contemplating a future outside the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Ankalaev’s clash with Jan Blachowicz for the vacant light heavyweight title was ruled a majority draw after five rounds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Derek Cleary scored the contest 48-46 for Ankalaev, Michael Bell had it 48-47 Blachowciz and Sal D’Amato had it 47-47. Meanwhile, the vast majority of media members tracked by MMADecisions.com thought Ankalaev won the fight.

“I don’t know what to say,” Ankalaev told Joe Rogan in the Octagon through a translator. “I won that fight. Why didn’t I get my belt? I don’t know what to say. … I can’t choose the judges for the fight that are sitting over here, but I won this fight. I won this belt. Where is my belt?

Ankalaev then seemed to imply that the judges’ verdict might cause him to consider leaving the UFC altogether.

“I always do whatever I have to do to adjust,” Ankalaev said. “If I’m losing in the standup, I’ll go down to grappling and wrestling; if I’m losing the wrestling, I’ll stand up. I can do both things, but I don’t know if I’m going to fight for this organization again, because honestly, I don’t know what just happened.”

The Dagestani light heavyweight later clarified those remarks in a statement on Twitter, claiming it was the judging in Las Vegas, not the organization, that upset him the most.

“I wanna clear something up, what I said after the fight was I don’t want to fight in this city anymore because of the horrible judging,” he wrote. “I did not say anything about I don’t wanna fight in the UFC. I wanna thank [Dana White] and [Sean Shelby] for the opportunity.

Ankalaev added that wasn’t at 100 percent against Blachowicz.

“I fought my heart out today, there is no excuse, but I had a compromised knee,” he wrote. “It wasn’t my best performance, but I know I won the fight. Thank you [Dana White] and the [UFC} for giving me this opportunity.”

I wanna clear something up, what I said after the fight was I don’t want to fight in this city anymore because of the horrible judging, I did not say anything about I don’t wanna fight in the UFC.

I wanna thank @danawhite and @Mickmaynard2 for the opportunity

— Magomed Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) December 11, 2022

I fought my heart out today, there is no excuse, but I had a compromised knee, it wasn’t my best performance, but I know I won the fight. Thank you @danawhite and the @ufc for giving me this opportunity

— Magomed Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) December 11, 2022

Ankalaev is unbeaten in his last 10 Octagon appearances, but the UFC is not booking a championship rematch between he and Blachowicz. Instead, Glover Teixeira and Jamahal Hill will square off for the still-vacant belt at UFC 283 on Jan. 21.