Does the UFC hate Magomed Ankalaev?

[Bojka]

I think there are just too many fighters from Caucasus who all look the same, have the same sounding names, have the same style, don't speak good English, don't promote fights, and all have the same Muslim persona. They're the new Brazilians that way.

 

[Aurelian]

He was too busy being in survival mode and being hurt by strikes.

If you say so. The leg kicks were pretty brutal but it's not like Ank was getting steamrolled as your statement suggests. I was pulling for Ank but that performance was underwhelming.

 

[Busgosu]

Can't blame them...How can anyone not hate him??

 

[StonedLemur]

Lmao. You have a knack (hope i spelled it right?) for expressing the truth. I must also agree this time.

UFC/Dana on hate mode lately. Actually more now than ever before. Don't like where this is going.

Atleast we have 290/291 to look forward to

You did spell it right sir, and yeah for some reason Dana seems more pissed off than usual tbh.
He's a fuckin crybaby though, so who knows what's up his ass lol.

 

[Deleted member 585708]

9 fight win streak in the UFC. Last fight was a draw in which most people thought he won.

The guy he fought to draw with (Jan Blachowicz) is basically getting a #1 contender fight next.

No news on Ankalaevs next move. Is he on the outs with the company?

I think Dana absolutely hated the guy after the title fight.

He gave him the shot he'd earned though, which isn't something that always happens with the UFC and their crazy matchmaking.

He just blew it, that's all.

 

[StonedLemur]

If you say so. The leg kicks were pretty brutal but it's not like Ank was getting steamrolled as your statement suggests. I was pulling for Ank but that performance was underwhelming.

He doesn't have a great fight IQ sir.

 

[CatchtheseHands]

Well he did talk shit about the UFC after the fight and panic wrestled Jan to a draw when Jan was chopping his legs down.. so yeah.. Fighters that talk shit about the UFC, and don't try to finish fights don't really get promotional pushes. I'm surprised they even gave Ank a title shot so soon. He's like the Belal of LHW. A good fighter that can beat most in the division, just isn't all that marketable and isn't a finisher

 

[Oscar Madison]

Ankalaev laid an egg.

It's his own fault! UFC gave him big name Jan to fight and a PPV Main Event STAGE -- and he fooked it up.

UFC doesn't hate him -- they just believe his value is not high after that performance. He needs to bring greater value if he wants greater rewards.

Do better.

 

[NicholasJBasile]

The UFC can be quite petty. He didn't have the best things to say about fighting in Vegas after his last fight, and I would guess they take that personally at times. Add to that his fights themself haven't been as well received or marketable as Jan's nor has his personality, and the result is that the UFC probably won't be very quick to book him in fights that will benefit his career. I hope this isn't so, as I love watching him compete, but that's my best guess.

 

[NicholasJBasile]

He doesn't have a great fight IQ sir.

I tend to agree -- he's incredibly talented, but I don't know why he leans so much on his striking against opponents with limited wrestling ability. His striking is good, but I feel his ground game is better. I look at how easily Rob Wilkinson defeated Thiago Silva and can't help but feel Ankalaev could've done better against Silva with a similar gameplan.

 

[JoeRowe]

Well like Jan he should be fighting a contender for next shot at the belt.
Ankalaev vs Krylov 2 or Walker.

Krylov, Walker, Ankalaev, Jan are all a win away from a title shot IMO the only guy getting gifted anything is Pereira.

Ankalaev vs Rakic

 

[MigitAs]

He's not marketable. He looks like Kadyrov and Khabib's long lost love child. No cool nickname. No funny personality like Khabib had. No asshole personality like Islam has. No charming personality like Zhabit has. No really antagonistic personality like Khazmat has.

Just a fricken guy

He’s like an Amish person in terms of personality.

 

[Katsushyro]

He was given a shot at the belt and failed to capitalize. And now I don’t see him calling out anyone or trying to build a new opportunity.

Had him called out maybe johnny walker, who was available, he could have secured a top win and a strong argument for the next shot.

 

[jeff7b9]

Maybe just further ammunition behind the theory hypothesis that UFC doesn't hype fighters; either the fighters get hype and then UFC favoritism, or they don't.

And shit, he seems to have less hype machine behind him than Belal does.

The UFC absolutely sucks at promoting fighters, which is ironic as they are the #1 "fight promotion" in the world.

Their brand first model, particularly combined with their effective monopoly and now with the guaranteed income from the ESPN deal, has left the promotion complacent and content to put on watered down cards with minimal investment in creating hype around fighters or even events.
They have really just been going through the motions for years at this point, and with no worthwhile competition and a sufficient amount of fans who will watch just cause its there, I doubt it changes any time soon.


They expect fighters to do their own promotion, and build their own following on social media. They showed that even a Goat level fighter was replaceable as far as they are concerned when they traded Mighty Mouse, who had the audacity to want to focus on his skills and his craft and have the fight promoter promote fights.

 

[The_Renaissance]

IMO he's still the best LHW they have but he hardly makes a case for himself, he's dead silent, has zero personality and didn't even seem to care when he was robbed last time out. When you've got guys like Hill, Jiri, Jan, Poatan you don't really need a guy like Magomed unless he really makes a statement and makes it impossible to ignore him.

 

[Liverkick-king56]

Ankalaev vs Rakic

On paper I love the matchup but Rakic is coming off a loss to Jan.

 

[SamuraiBro]

They will probably do a rematch with Krylov as a fight night main event.

 

[JoeRowe]

On paper I love the matchup but Rakic is coming off a loss to Jan.

It was 1-1 and he blew out his own knee own walking a backwards. It was already injured from his training camp. Treating that result as anything other than even is a stretch. On paper sure, but context matters.

 

[Edward Henry Greb]

9 fight win streak in the UFC. Last fight was a draw in which most people thought he won.

The guy he fought to draw with (Jan Blachowicz) is basically getting a #1 contender fight next.

No news on Ankalaevs next move. Is he on the outs with the company?

Ankalaev is not good looking, his style is boring, and he barely speaks English.

Plainly and simply, he is not a marketable item.

The UFC wants handsome/pretty fighters, who finish (either with strikes or by subs), who are charismatic and marketable.

Ankalaev is none of these things.

That's why nobody cares.

 

[13Seconds]

The UFC can be quite petty. He didn't have the best things to say about fighting in Vegas after his last fight, and I would guess they take that personally at times. Add to that his fights themself haven't been as well received or marketable as Jan's nor has his personality, and the result is that the UFC probably won't be very quick to book him in fights that will benefit his career. I hope this isn't so, as I love watching him compete, but that's my best guess.

Just skillwise i do think he might be the best LHW. his grappling is there and his hands are so good.

For some reason i don't see him getting a titleshot. As other said, he fights very safe. And his prime might be up.