Magomed Ankalaev father: UFC 313 Dagestani star’s devastating loss during high school
UFC 313 PPV star Magomed Ankalaev lost father at a young age, which propelled him to find solace in MMA and become a fighter.
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UFC 313 star Magomed Ankalaev lost his father very young (Source: X)
Magomed Ankalaev is a name coming out of Dagestan, competing in the UFC 205-pound class. Ankalaev has gone 11-1-1, and always kept lofty aspirations for gold. Outside of that, the Russian fighter has never been overtly spoken and believes in the grind. However, he opened up about the vacuum of not having a father once, before UFC 313.
UFC’s YouTube channel released behind-the-scenes footage of top fighters at ‘UFC 313 Countdown’ promo. Ankalaev will challenge UFC 205-pound champ Alex Pereira at the UFC 313 PPV headliner, March 8 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. In one interview, Magomed Ankalaev iterated having to work harder after his father died.
I was born in the Shamilsky District, in the village of Teletl’, …high in the mountains of Dagestan. I was in the ninth or tenth grade and I lost my father – That was the most difficult age for me, when you really need a father’s support. Since the man is the eldest in the family, it turned out that I was the man. And I had to work much harder for my family, to support them…Around 2011-2012, I started training in martial arts, like combat sambo. After that, something opened up.
Magomed Ankalaev on UFC 313 Countdown – Full Episode (🎥 : @ufc on YouTube)
The UFC 313 star had also explained that the load on him helped nurture his beginnings in martial arts. The Russian fighter is a former Akhmat FC light heavyweight fighter, holding the crown of the Akhmat FC Light Heavyweight Grand Prix in 2016. Consequently, it all started with the loss of his father at a very young age.
What thus followed was undeniable. Ankalaev is a combat sambo practitioner who won gold at the WMMAA’s World Cup in Baku. In 2014, he also defeated the legendary Fedor Emelianenko’s students in the discipline at the Russian World Championship. The 32-year-old even cemented himself as top seed for 205-pound gold at UFC 313 with a decision win over Aleksandar Rakic in October 2024.
Who is UFC light heavyweight star Magomed Ankalaev’s father?
Born into an Avar family in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia, Magomed Ankalaev grew up a devout Muslim. He often credits his religious practices for his success in the octagon. While little is known about Ankalaev’s immediate family, he makes regular visits to Dagestan. So far, the fighter has kept the entirety of his family away from the media’s grasp.
Talking to ‘BOX TV’, Ankalaev once mentioned he started training in Greco-Roman Wrestling at DGU. After the passing of his father, he took the helm and found solace in combat sambo. He soon became a Master of Sports in the field. Ankalaev would later make his pro career debut in 2014 at Oplot Challenge 96.
Magomed Alibilatovich Ankalaev would soon keep the Dagestani MMA dominance going with his prime performances. While almost all about his family is unknown, he credits his devout practices as a big motivator. Ankalaev’s mother would urge the young fighter and his sibling to wake up in the wee hours to do wudu [ablution] in the cold background. After which, he’d soon take to training.
The untimely loss of his father also meant he had to hoist himself to something bigger and better soon. Inspired by the likes of Randy Couture, he started to make his mark in MMA/UFC, and the rest is history.
Related: Magomed Ankalaev Net Worth 2024: How rich is the Russian MMA star?
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