Magomed Ankalaev had one major request to UFC before Alex Pereira fight

Magomed Ankalaev 'pleaded with the UFC' to reschedule his UFC 313 fight with Alex Pereira.

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Fighting at UFC 313 is far from ideal for Magomed Ankalaev.

It took Ankalaev nine-straight wins for his first UFC title shot, and after a split draw against Jan Blachowicz the Russian contender had to fight three more times to secure his place as Alex Pereira's next title challenger.

Unbeaten in his last 13, Ankalaev's chased down Pereira for quite some time and will finally get his hands on him this weekend. Albeit, the circumstances could have been better for Ankalaev, a practicing Muslim with Ramadan having started a few days ago.

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UFC 313 full prelim fight predictions for Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev

Ankalaev 'Pleaded With The UFC' To Reschedule

Ankalaev says he asked the UFC to push the date of the fight to not interfere with the month-long holiday; fasting and weight cuts don't exactly go hand-in-hand.

"It was a really difficult decision, and we kind of pleaded with the UFC a little bit that maybe there’s a possibility to hold it and move it to a different date and keep me as the #1 contender," Ankalaev told Sky Sport NZ.

Magomed Anakalev will get his second shot at UFC gold at UFC 313. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Making The Most Out Of It

The UFC wouldn't budge, Ankalaev ultimately deciding to fight during Ramadan.

“That’s the decision they made, so we as a team had to make sure to understand this is the type of opportunity we’ve been after for so long. For now, to let it go... would not have been a good choice."

Justin Gaethje will meet in middle of Octagon if Rafael Fiziev challenges it at UFC 313

"So, we decided that even though it is the holy month for us, we have to jump on this opportunity and do the best with what we have.”

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Magomed Ankalaev was leapfrogged by #7-ranked Khalil Rountree Jr. in the last light heavyweight title fight vs. Alex Pereira at UFC 307. Coming off a win over Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308, the #1 contender in the world wasn't going to let another golden opportunity pass him by.

Ankalaev has said he hasn't been fasting this fight week (via Ag Fight).

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