Dagestani Magomed Ankalaev recalls scary encounter with ‘Predator’ Francis Ngannou in sparring

Magomed Ankalaev faced the destructive power of Francis Ngannou in a sparring match. 

Dagestani Magomed Ankalaev recalls scary encounter with ‘Predator’ Francis Ngannou in sparring

Magomed Ankalaev shares the story about sparring with Francis Ngannou (via Imago)

The heavyweight and light heavyweight athletes are some of the scariest fighters in UFC history. Magomed Ankalaev is regarded as one of the most dangerous light heavyweights in the world. What happens when he goes against a heavyweight like Francis Ngannou? Well, the Dagestani faced the ‘Predator’ in a sparring contest.

Francis Ngannou left UFC due to his dispute with Dana White and the promotion regarding his fight purse. However, during his reign, the ‘Predator’ was a force of nature and destroyed everybody who came in front of him. During a recent interview, Magomed Ankalaev shared his story of sparring against the former UFC heavyweight champion. 

I saw that [Ngannou] wanted to drop me. He was generally aggressive. I quickly went to his feet, put him down and held him. I was waiting for the time to run out so I could say 'don't come near me again. 
Magomed Ankalaev via Aslanbek Badaev’s YouTube channel
YouTube video

Francis Ngannou is well known for his nasty knockout power. During his time in UFC, he has dropped some big names such as Alistair Overeem, Cain Velasquez, Stipe Miocic, etc. On the other hand, Ankalaev has a striking and excellent wrestling base in the light heavyweight division. 

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Ngannou has shown his takedown defense against Stipe Miocic in the rematch. However, it might have been possible for Ankalaev to take down the French-Cameroonian. Ngannou has not responded to Ankalaev’s version of the story. Nevertheless, Ankalaev looks forward to using all his skills to take out the next challenge. 

Magomed Ankalaev wants to destroy Alex Pereira and take home the light heavyweight title

Magomed Ankalaev is currently desperate to get his light heavyweight title shot. The Dagestani fighter has frequently challenged Alex Pereira for a potential fight through various social media posts. Ankalaev has promised fans to knock out the Brazilian and stop his dominant reign. Alex Pereira is not a fan of Ankalaev’s antics and has warned him about the consequences. 

Magomed Ankalaev talks about stopping Alex Pereira
Magomed Ankalaev talks about stopping Alex Pereira (via X)

However, Magomed Ankalaev is in no mood to stop and believes that he can definitely beat Pereira. The Dagestani fighter has even claimed that he doesn’t need his takedowns to stop Pereira and will face the power of ‘Poatan’ head-on. According to Ankalaev, Pereira isn’t skilled enough to compete with him for multiple rounds.

Many experts understand that I can easily beat Pereira... I think with his speed he won't touch me at all. The most he can do is hit me with a low kick...I want to beat him up. I just want to attack him, just show him that I'm better than him.
Magomed Ankalaev via Aslanbek Badaev’s YouTube channel 

Ankalaev is trying his best to land a title shot against Pereira. Rumors also suggest the champ is currently eyeing his heavyweight debut against Jon Jones. On top of that, ‘Poatan’ was also asked to explore boxing by heavyweight Anthony Joshua. Nevertheless, everything will depend upon what the UFC decides for Alex Pereira’s future. 

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